#s: janny

[janny-aqua]

How the conversation between Leon and Ada should've went..

"Hey Leon, they took your friend to the clock tower, you should probably hurry "

"Oh thanks, wait I thought you have a job to take care of?"

"I do, but I just wanted to give you a heads up."

This isn't the best one but I just wanted to have Leon understand that he shouldn't bother trying to reunite with her, not only because he has a mission to protect Ashley, but because he began to realize that yes, they were both strangers in the Raccoon City and don't know her very well.

[oceanusborealis]

Maboroshi (Alice and Therese's Illusory Factory/ Alice to Therese no Maboroshi Kôjô/ アリスとテレスのまぼろし工場) - Movie Review

TL;DR – While there were some good ideas here, an unfortunate narrative focus and other frustrating narrative issues held it back for me. ⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 2.5 out of 5. Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix service that viewed this film.Warning – Contains scenes that may cause distress. Maboroshi Review – When something supernatural happens, is that…

[cjjasp]

#FineArtFriday: the Dragon's Cave by Georg Janny 1917

Artist: Georg Janny  (1864–1935) Title: The Dragon’s Cave (German: Drachenhöhle) Date: 1917 Medium: oil on canvas What I love about this painting: What’s not to love about a dragon? Georg Janny gives us the beast in his natural environment. Our dragon is immense, gloriously armored with steel gray and silver scales. Twin streams of smoke rise from his nostrils, evidence of his fiery internal…

[uzumaki-rebellion]

An Alex Cross Joint Mission

Alex Cross & The Heartbreak Brotherhood Part 1

Main Cast: Alex Cross, John Clark, and Terry Richmond, Black Female OC.

Warning(s): 18+, Explicit Sex, Violence, Murder, Mystery, Thriller, and Drama. Grown Folks Shit.

Summary: Homicide Detective Alex Cross must join forces with former elite Navy SEAL John Clark, and former marine MCMAP instructor Terry Richmond to solve the mystery of a murderous stalker seeking revenge on all three of them. The only connection the men have to each other is a sexy femme fatale they each had an intimate relationship with recently.

Word count: 1.8K

Dedicating this one to @nahimjustfeelingit-writes !

"Six minutes

Six minutes

Six minutes Doug E. Fresh

You're on…"

Doug E. Fresh—"The Show"

Alex Cross bounced around in the front seat of his Ford Explorer in time to the old Hip Hop song blasting on his radio. From the rearview mirror he glimpsed his nine-year-old son Damon and seven-year-old daughter Jannie rolling their eyes at him.

"Y'all don't know nothing about this. Nana Mama used to play this for me when I was little to hype up my day."

Both of his children ignored him as he bobbed his head in time to Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew's "The Show". He told a little white lie to them. It was his mother who used to play it for him when he was four years old, before she passed away from a drug overdose. Alex avoided mentioning his mother because it would remind his children of their own mother, who died in a drive-by shooting a couple of years ago. The pain was still tender, yet he wanted to get them excited about going to a church picnic with Nana Mama and other children from the community center he volunteered for.

Alex had other plans for himself that afternoon. He was going to meet a beautiful woman he'd been spending time with for the past six weeks whenever she was in town. A fellow doctorate in psychology, Sasha worked for a global PR firm and traveled a lot for her job. They'd recently become intimate, and the sex was mind-blowing for him. Nothing interested him more than a sexy, intelligent woman with a body for days. He'd been reluctant to take the next step with Sasha, preferring to keep their sporadic dates platonic and fun. Spending time with her without a commitment allowed him to dip his toe back into the dating scene without pressure. She was flexible, not put off by him being a widow with children, and seemed to always know when to give him space for his home life. After four weeks of seeing each other, he crossed over into intimacy easily with her. Sasha was hard to resist. Forty-two days in, he had an itch for her that needed scratching.

He pulled into the parking lot of the Holy Comforter- St. Cyprian Catholic Church. Nana Mama stood by her Blue Honda Accord with her best friend Mrs. Whitman, waiting for them. He turned down the music and watched his children jump out from the back, grateful to be freed from Dad's old-time music. He stepped out of the car for a minute.

"I'll see you guys later…hey, have fun today," he said.

Damon and Jannie nodded, running over to Nana Mama's car. Alex's grandmother had to do some earlier prep work at the church kitchen and he agreed to drop his children off later, before he met up with Sasha at the National Mall.

"Are you sure you and Sasha don't want to hang with us? We'd like to meet your new girlfriend," Nana Mama said.

She gave him a teasing grin, and Mrs. Whitman chuckled.

"No, I'm not ready to bring people around the kids yet," he said.

He leaned over and kissed Nana Mama's cheek. Jumping back into his car, he waved at Damon and Jannie. Changing the music on the radio to something more adult contemporary, he headed for a grown-up picnic on the National Mall. He'd also been a little proactive in reserving a luxury hotel room. The four times they'd had sex had been in hotel suites that she booked while in town. She lived in Maryland when not traveling, and they both stayed cautious with their personal lives interacting just yet. They were still in the getting-to-know-each-other phase with fucking thrown into the equation now. He made plans to wine and dine her later that evening after a long "nap" at the hotel. Nana Mama knew not to wait up for him because he wanted to spend as much time with Sasha as he could before she jetted off to solve some other public figure's national reputation.

Traffic slowed him up, but he didn't fret. It was a sunny day with blue skies and he was on his way to have some adult fun after a stressful week of work. He had some vacation time stacked up, and he wanted to convince Sasha to run off to Vegas for a weekend. Janet Jackson would start her music residency there and he snagged some tickets because Sasha was a huge fan.

He parked his car in the visitor parking lot on Ohio Drive and strolled toward the spot where they would meet, carrying a fancy bottle of wine in a bag. Sasha texted a picture of herself to his phone, blowing him a kiss, letting him know she provided all the goodies for their day. All he had to do was show up. This was part of Sasha's routine on their dates. She'd plan something special or spontaneous and give him the locations to meet her where she'd make him feel like a king. He reciprocated when he could, but Sasha was part of the jet set, often overseas. Most of their time together had to be centered on her schedule of availability.

Alex wandered past other people who had the same plans to picnic in the sun. He looked around for the familiar gorgeous face with the dark mocha skin as soft as a rose petal and those lush lips he so wanted to kiss right then and there. Sasha was so fine that it made him step up his dating game, which had always been above solid before he was even married.

Checking the location pin she sent him, Alex surveyed the surroundings. She had to be late, or moved to a different spot. Quite a few tourists meandered about taking pictures. Perched on a picnic table, a light brown-skinned Black man in expensive maroon jogging fits stared at his smartphone. He glanced at Alex with green eyes and gave the international Black man head nod of "W'sup." Alex returned the nod and moved past him, keeping an eye out for his date.

Another Black man glanced around the area near Alex, checking his phone, too. He eyed Alex and dropped his gaze back to his phone as it dinged a message for him. The man grinned at his phone and faint dimples popped in his cheeks. He had on comfortable tan cargo pants and a tight, long-sleeved white shirt.

Alex sported a light blue sweater with pale blue drawstring casual pants. D.C. weather was always fickle later in the fall. Warm one minute, chilly the next.

Ten minutes went by and Alex started fidgeting while waiting. He finally pulled out his smartphone from his pants pocket and called her number.

"Sasha, I'm at the spot for our picnic. No worries if you're running late. Just wanted to make sure I'm in the right location," he said.

The green-eyed man on the bench stared at Alex when he said Sasha's name out loud. So did the dimpled dude near him. He heard a distant sound of something popping like a firecracker or a whip snapping suddenly. One woman let out a terrifying scream as her companion, another woman, fell face forward onto the ground. Dead.

A sharp, hot pressure radiated in Alex's left shoulder and several more people screamed as a blood stain bloomed like a rose and ruined his good sweater. The shock of being shot hadn't registered in his brain yet as he noticed the dimpled man near him take a grazing on the hip from the same bullet that exited Alex's body. Another shot tried to take the stranger down again, but the dimpled man jumped behind the picnic table as the green-eyed man dove over the side joining him, just missing getting struck himself by another two bullets that went through the picnic table and bench.

Alex dropped to the ground and yelled at other potential victims to run and hide. From his position on the ground, he pressed a hand against his shoulder, using his sweater to help staunch the flow of blood.

"You okay, man?" the dimpled man asked.

"Yeah, clean shot through me…you?"

"I'll live. Bullet that hit you nicked me."

Green eyes used his phone to call 911. The dimpled man looked in the direction of the gunshots.

"That's a roof shot with a high caliber rifle. A good mile away. I'm guessing the museum over there from this angle," dimples said.

Police sirens blared in the distance, so did fire trucks.

No more shots were fired.

The green-eyed man glanced at Alex's wound.

"Keep putting pressure on it," green eyes said. "I think we should stay here until help arrives. Those shots weren't random. The first shot that hit that woman was meant for me. It looked like she got in the way by accident. You were next…and then you. This was a planned hit. Someone aimed all those bullets at us."

"I'm Alex," Alex said, lifting himself to rest against the picnic bench.

He needed to collect information from these men.

"I'm Terry," green eyes said,

"John," the dimpled man added reluctantly.

"Who would want the three of us taken out? We don't even know each other," Alex mumbled to himself.

"I heard you mention a name when you made a phone call before the shots happened…Sasha," John said.

"Yeah, she was my date today," Alex said.

"What she look like?" Terry interjected.

Alex grunted and pulled out his cell phone with his right hand. He swiped a screen to the last text photo he received.

"That's her," Alex said.

Terry's eyes narrowed, and John's lips curled down into a frown. They each pulled out their phones and showed Alex the same photo and text from Sasha.

"What the hell is this?" Alex said.

Cops and paramedics arrived on the scene. Alex left Nana Mama a message on her phone, and then contacted his best friend and partner on the force, John Sampson, who arrived soon after the paramedics lifted him onto the back of their ambulance. Terry stayed around to answer questions, but John had disappeared.

On the ride to the hospital, Alex wracked his brain trying to figure out who his lover Sasha really was. Had she set them all up for murder in one fell swoop? What had he done to warrant her plotting something like that? Or was someone else behind it? John vanished without a trace, and that seemed suspicious, but would he take a chance of getting wounded like that if he were part of the nefarious plot?

Alex closed his eyes.

The first chance he got, he was going to investigate the two men that were marked for death with him.

A.N.:

Giving y'all a taste now. I'll be working on adding updates in spring of 2025, so bookmark it! I have so much to write in other fandoms, lol! I haven't watched the series yet, but Aldis is that dude and I have been waiting to write something for him. So combining him with two other hot men is a treat!

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite2024 1. Steer

Featuring: @goldencrusader 's Ioh'Juhn Reign as Juhnathan Leviathan Characters: Khassandra Leviathan (Jannie Eyradoux Fortemps's Shard), Yachai Leviathan (Violet Fisher's Shard), Rhion Leviathan (U'rahn Nuhn's Shard), Elidbibus Expansion: Shadowbringers(Context) Rating: T Notes: There have been 7 Rejoinings since the Sundering. We're likely to never know what happened to those worlds to reach their abnormal ascendancy. This is a story from the 5th Shard, a world that might have been. This continues from the continuity of The First Union

Glossary: The Five = The five great seas of the star Catter = Miqo'te Merfolk = Sahagin Levinfolk = Lalafell

“The Five is our kingdom. I sailed them all, as did your uncle, and our father, and his father before him, all the way back to the first King Leviathan of the Whitestones, who united all of Catter and Merfolk kind to make  peace with the land dwellers under the banner of the Seawyrm. He claimed the oceans for us so that we may always have our bellies filled with fish and would have freedom to travel as far as the horizons would take us so that we might never be reliant on the land again!”

“Except for fresh water.”

Juhnathan crossed his arms as he turned toward his daughter as she kept her eyes windward, ensuring that they continued perpendicular to the coast to the east. His sons snickered a bit, both leaning against the larboard taffrail as they waited to listen to their father’s speech.

“I don’t understand. How come Khassandra gets the helm? I’m the eldest. I should be the first mate,” Yachai signed toward his father as the man tried to remember where he’d left off.

Rhion rolled his eyes. “The last time we sailed close to Home, you got us beached on a sandbar. If it wasn't for a generous wind we’d still be there.”

Yachai flitted his ears backward and glared at his brother as he quickly signed, “ I didn’t ask you,” before giving him a middle finger.

“Oi! Cut it out you two,” Juhnathan scolded, muttering. “We should have stopped at one,” soon after.

“HEY,” Rhion and Khassandra called out, the twins’ tails both thrashing.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding…mostly. Anyroad. Khassandra is steering because she is the most patient and the least likely to be distracted,” Juhnathan said, putting his hand on his son’s shoulder. “Our numbers grow less and less every year. Yes, the winds and terrible storms they have brought have seen many of our brethren lost to the depths of The Five; however, a well trained sailor can weather any squall. One day you will be King of the Five and a good king knows that he can not always be at the helm. Sometimes we must put our pride aside for those who can do the most good.”

Yachai looked down, tightening his fist then brought them up to sign, “And where is Uncle Zhonathan then? Was he not doing good enough for you? I can’t call out orders. Are you going to send me away too!?”

Juhnathan frowned, taking a step back as Yachai pushed past him in a huff, the boy heading grumpily downstairs toward the bow to sulk by himself. Rhion sighed, shaking his head as he moved beside his dad then looked up at him. “He just missed Uncle Zhohnathan. It is kind of lonely out here with his ship in tow and Uncle always let him helm his ship.”

Juhnathan raked his hand through his hair, watching Yachai brood across the ship. The king remained silent for a moment before shaking his head. “It is lonelier, isn’t it.”

A crack of thunder echoed through the Blackwood, causing Rhion to sit up in a sweat. A hiss escaped him as he felt his head throb, making him wince and palm at his forehead finding it lightly bandaged. He followed the wrapping around to the back then hissed again as he felt a tender wound beneath it. Getting more of his bearings he looked around, finding himself in a rather small room and atop two small beds for Levinfolk pushed together to accommodate his size.

“There was little time to move you to visitor quarters. King Ramuh wanted you taken care of quickly. They had to push you through a window to fit you inside,” a familiar deep voice called out through the dark.

Rhion rubbed his eyes then peered through the dark toward a cloaked figure. “Elidibus? Is that you?” he called out in a near whisper, weary to raise his voice too much.

“Yes,” Elidbus answered, moving closer to kneel at the edge of the bed in his white robes, hand reaching out to press upon Rhion’s chest. “Your father heard whispers that you’d have an accident. I felt compelled to see that you were safe. Apparently you had a rather hard fall from the bow. Perhaps you indulged King Ramuh a bit too much in spirits? Do you need water?”

A shudder ran through Rhion as Elidbus felt over his chest. He huffed, taking the other by the wrist to pull his hand away before offering it a small kiss where it pulsed. “I will not ask how you came to be by my side so quickly but I am happy for the company. I didn't have a chance to sit down with the King. There was a rare break in the clouds so that you could see up into the night sky. It just so happened there was a meteor shower. I must have been in such awe I lost my footing and fell,” he said before looking toward the window as a streak of lightning illuminated the panes. “And then I had the most vivid dream…But it wasn’t a dream. It was more like reliving one of my own memories from the outside.”

Rhion jumped as Elidibus suddenly jerked his shoulder toward him. His eyes widened a bit as the other pulled back his hood and ripped his mask off, having never seen the other without it. Elidibus’s bright blue eyes searched his face, frantic and near tears.

“Do you know me?” Elidibus asked breathlessly.

“Of course I do,” Rhion said, touching the other’s face before giving the other sly smile, “In all the ways one could possibly-”

“Say my name.”

“Elidibus…?”

“No. Say my name.”

Rhion leaned away as he finally sensed a desperation in Elidibus’s demeanor that he’d not thought possible for the normally stoic and soft man to have. He slid from the bedding, getting on his knees to put his arms around him, holding him still. “You have always been Elidibus to me,” he said, into the other’s ear.

Elidibus’s shaking ceased. His body almost seemed to go limp against Rhion’s, the Catter having to quickly unfurl his legs to be able to sit comfortably as the other came down upon him. They laid there quietly, save for the storm raging outside. Unsure what to do or what to make of Elidibus’s state, Rhion took to rubbing his back and singing softly.

 “Upon the seas, long ago, a Catter had too much to drink. 

He offended a pirate captain, and nearly landed in the clink.

But a Catter wise, as he, or so they say,

And with his cunning linguistics, spared himself jail that day.

He said ‘If you let me go, Captain, I’ll tell you of a great sea prize,

As I am a clever Catter, and have made The Five my wives.

Now the Western Sea is our home, as we certainly all know

And the Northern Sea is too icy, not a great place to go.

The Southern Sea is sunny and warm, the perfect place for me

But if I had to go and hide, the rock islands of the Central I would be.

So to the Eastern Sea you’ll set your sails, crossing ocean wide

If it's a massive treasure you do seek, on the farthest end it will reside.

Go Captain! Fly! Leave me here while you seek,

As going from Central to East will take at least a week!`

And so the Captain thanked him, leaving him on shore,

Then sailed his men toward the East and then was heard from no more.

And so the wise Catter lived safe the rest of his days,

As the Eastern Sea is notorious for swallowing ships in its waves.

“That is a ridiculous song,” Eldibus said softly, unable to shake the amusement in his voice.

“I didn’t write it. Dad used to sing it to us when we were little. It’s comforting,” Rhion replied with a small shrug.

“You are ridiculous,” Eldibus sighed, before lifting himself up, staring down at Rhion calmly, though still with an air of searching for something he wasn’t finding.

“So is that mask you wear all the time. This is the first time I’ve seen you without it, you know. What about the priesthood says you have to keep it on. Even during-”

“I am just married to the old ways. It has long been an important custom to my people. I am often afraid that I might forget our ways. Even now names and faces slip from me. I feel it might drive me mad if I don’t find comfort in the familiar,” Elidibus explained.

“I think I understand…” Rhion trailed before touching Elidbus’s bare cheek as he sat up to draw his face in for a kiss before pulling back with a playful grin, “You’re kind of in love with me. Aren’t you?”

Elidbus froze again, mouth opening then closing before shaking his head. “Azem! I mean Gelos. This is all very-”

“Azem? Gelos? Who’re they?” Rhion asked, flinching as the other suddenly pulled away.

“You are well. I must return to the temple,” Elidibus said sharply, ignoring the question while picking his mask up off the floor.

“Woah! Hey! You just got here,” Rhion said, reaching out to grab for Eldibus’s wrist as he retreated. “You’re acting more elusive than normal. What’s going on?”

“I’m clearly mistaking you for someone else. Let me go.”

“Where are you going to go? There’s a storm raging outside and it’s the middle of the night,” Rhion protested, keeping his grip firm. “And for that matter, how can you mistake me for someone else? I’ve always been me. I’m the same person who’ve you-”

“You are nothing! An imitation…or perhaps just a fraction of who you are supposed to be,” Elidibus snapped.

Rhion swallowed, letting go of Elidbus’s wrist. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but even so it felt like the other had singled in on some raw nerve he never knew he had. A wave of hurt was replaced by anger before rounding back to confusion. “Even if that’s true…whatever that is has you drawn to me,” Rhion said defiantly, trying to mask his frustration with confidence. “Go if you must. You always seem to know how to find me…”

Rhion turned away from Elidibus as the man retreated into the shadows. A chill crept up his spine as he suddenly felt himself alone in the room. He turned to look back, Elidibus seeming to have vanished from the space without so much as the creek of a door hinge. With a huff, he sat down, raking a hand through his hair trying to replay where exactly he went wrong.

[nighhtwing]

the oversexualization of dick grayson in grayson comics </3 an overview:

or how many times can someone mention dick grayson's attractiveness in one series (the answer is a lot)

secret origins (2014) #8: "'A review from 'circuspeanuts.com' states, 'Young Dick is fearless and charismatic, with a disarming smile...'"

secret origins (2014) #8: "He is quite handsome, and if he is as charming as they say, well--it is often said to know a man is to love him." —minos

grayson #1: ticket collector watches, captivated, as dick walks away

grayson #1: "I can read the electrical activity inside that pretty head [...] If you get away, I won't remember that charming face." —midnighter

grayson #4: "One of my cameras caught a rare and beautiful sight. A man. [...] I'm talking about some prime Hollywood beefcake. Nice bahookie on 'im too. Couldn't get a good shot of 'is face, but what good's that anyway." —one of the students

grayson #4: "Now, where are those ripplin' shoulders?! I want 'em!" —one of the students as they're trying to stalk dick

grayson #4: "Sexy Tarzan-man me Jane." / "No, me Jane!" —two college students as dick swings in from the trees

grayson #4: "A gay French gymnast? I'll be writing stories about you, Agent 39. Sexy stories." —dr elisabeth netz

grayson #6: "Your nifty Hypnos tech trick may make it so I can't see Spyral agents' faces...but I'd know that ass anywhere." —midnighter

grayson #8: "I...I have to confess it. I love. Gym." "Oh yeah. Best subject. By far." "Nah. Not 'gym.' 'Jim.' That's what I named the right cheek. Left one's Juan. An' he's a fine one that Juan. But my heart belongs to Jim." "I can see that." "Poor Juan though. (sigh) He's going to need comforting. Lots and lots of comforting." "But it's all like a waste though, right? I mean, he's gay." "Ah, Janni. Don't yeh understand. Paris is gay...that doesn't stop me from wanting to climb up on its Eiffel Tower." —students ogling dick

grayson #8: "Y'know, after all's said and done...I may just have to give Juan another chance." "(sigh) Poor Jim." "He'll need some comfort." "Lots and lots of comfort." —students ogling dick's ass after he shot paragon in the heart

grayson #10: "I wouldn't have been so taken by a common thief with the most beautiful butt I have ever seen...and an unusually well-developed penchant for duplicity." —duchess

grayson #10: "I pulled autopsy reports for all of the murdered agents, Director Bertinelli. The depth of the bludgeoning injuries is consistent with the muscle-strength locked into Agent 37's lovely arms." —dr elisabeth netz

grayson #12: "You know, Agent 37, after watching you fight for my Spyral all this time, this is not at all how I imagined meeting you. I think I just assumed you'd have your shirt off. Oh well, my loss really." —agent zero ii, luka netz

grayson annual #2: dick is so sexy that, when stopping hypnos, one of the fists of cain was so shocked by his sexiness that she got distracted enough to get knocked off her motorcycle

grayson #13: dick is fully nude in front of dr elisabeth netz and makes his discomfort known

grayson #15: "So, question. You all have names. Robin, Red Robin, Red Hood. Except leader-guy. All the Robins just call him "Tight Ass." For various reasons.

grayson #20: "By the way, now that I am in this gorgeous body, I can tell you with some certainty that the only woman Dick Grayson ever truly loved was named Barbara--" —dr. daedalus

grayson annual #3: "I should have known something was wrong when I couldn't see his face. Then again, the danger of the situation, the enormous pressure of encountering four simultaneous vampires--oh who am I kidding. I was distracted by his butt. Hell, if I was a vamp, I'd bite him, too. I had minutes, maybe less, before that beefcake became a body bag." —constantine

grayson annual #3: dick's just getting ASSAULTED by vampires btw. getting called "luscious"

[gretavanmoon]

All stories are 18+! Minors, dni! All stories are works of fiction and do not reflect the actions of the members of this band.

Check out my collabs with my lovely bestie @gretavangroupie​ !!

Vigilance - Forbidden Twin - complete

Valor- Janny - complete

The Fidelity Series - ongoing wip

The Ripe and The Ruin - Jake x OC x Female Reader - complete

Reverence - Sam x OC - wip

Transcendent - Jake x female reader -wip

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Series

A Perfect Ten - Josh x female reader (AU) - complete

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

an omnipresent force - Jake x female reader (Semi AU) - wip

Intro - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 -Part 4 - Part 5

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Oneshots

Speechless - Jake x female reader

S A L T Y - Jake x female reader

Caught in a Daze - Sam x female reader (originally from the Fidelity Series E09)

The Proposition - Danny x female reader (originally from the fidelity series S17)

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[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Prince's Protected | Serpent's Nest

Hello! So I spent a good chunk of my time the other day rereading “come now little prince” (ridiculously good!!) and I was wondering if you would consider expanding on that part in the most recent chapter where the heroes take care of Janus? (Specifically a scenario of Roman taking care/comforting Janus bc I love how you’ve written them in this and would be really interested to see that dynamic shift and how the relationship between the two grows as time has passed) also! I’m in the middle of reading Tales of Thicketdown Forest bc I’m obsessed with your writing and goodness it’s so sweet and has me feeling very soft and I can’t wait to finish it! – anon

Read on Ao3 Masterlist

Warnings: gsw, blood loss

Pairings: roceit

Word Count: 2074

"Stay with me," Remus grunts as he shoulders open the door, hand still pressed to the wound on Janus's side, "we're almost there."

Janus grits his teeth and shoves his cane under him, trying in vain to prop up his weight with his non-working arm. Remus catches him without blinking when it clatters uselessly to the ground. Granted, he still manages to bash his knee into the hardwood floor before he's swung up properly, but that leg was already on its way out in the first place.

"Shit. Sorry."

"Apologize after I'm not bleeding out," he grits through clenched teeth. Remus just chuckles darkly and presses on into the dark apartment.

Now, realistically, they should have gone to the medical facility, but at the risk of sounding paranoid, they weren't sure what else was compromised. Certainly having a bomb explode Janus's car before got in was sign enough that his security needed to be tightened, they didn't need to ask the question of if the medical staff had been infiltrated too. Besides, Janus didn't get to where he is by having only one contingency plan.

He's jolted out of his musings by a rough deposit onto one of the couches, Remus kneeling over him a second later, both hands still pressed to the wound. Janus manages a half-hearted protest at the rough treatment when he catches sight of the fear lingering behind Remus's stoic gaze. Ah, Remus…ever his feral little junkyard dog…so unprofessional when it came to everything but the worst parts of the job. And here he is now, that loyalty glimmering through the mask he wears as a member of the Serpent's crew, as his hands fill with blood that should never have been spilled.

…the blood loss really is getting to him, he's never this introspective sober.

One hand lifts almost on its own to card gently through Remus's hair, leaving a few red trails on his temples and the very tip of his ear. Remus's gaze flies to his immediately, searching for what might have gone wrong, only to twitch when he realizes Janus is only petting him.

"The doc's almost here," he says instead, refocusing, "just hang on."

"It's okay, sweetie," Janus murmurs drowsily, "I know it'll be okay."

"Yeah, it's gonna be fine, you just hang in there."

"My Remus," he coos, still running his hand across Remus's scalp, "my sweet Remus…such a good boy. Feral little junkyard dog…"

"Shit, you really are out of it," he hears Remus murmur distantly, mostly to himself, "doc better fucking get here soon."

He can tell by the blur of black and the fact that Remus moves him to lie down that the doctor is here, but what's more important is that Remus doesn't leave. Instead, he stands where Janus can still pet him, blinking sluggishly at his face as he watches the doctor work. A few sharp pains lance through the pleasant haze and he winces. Remus wraps his arms lightly around Janus's shoulders and holds him there.

"You gotta hold still, Janny, it's almost done. You're gonna be just fine, okay? We'll get you on painkillers and everything, just hang on."

"'S it bad enough for the good stuff?"

Remus must have a conversation with the doctor. Then he shakes his head. "Nah. You're just being dramatic."

"That's my right."

"Uh-huh, and it can be your right even more when you're not about to bleed out on this couch."

"'S my couch an' my blood, it can go where I want."

"As long as it's in your veins and not all over the shit you'll make me clean up, yeah, that's fine."

He tugs lightly on Remus's hair in reprimand as the doctor finishes patching him up. Slowly, the wooziness of blood loss starts to turn into the fog of painkillers as Remus helps him sit back up. He sees the doctor off with a nod and looks around for his cane, noting that Remus must have left his side at some point to stand it back up in its place by the door—what a sweet boy.

"Guys nabbed him already," Remus is saying—ah, yes, the fool who put the bomb under his car, excellent—"I'll be down there tomorrow once I'm sure you're not about to do anything stupid."

"Please, my dear, have a little faith." He goes to push himself up from the couch—

"That," Remus barks sharply, and then there are hands on his shoulders pushing him back down, "like that. That's the stupid shit I need to make sure you don't do."

"Oh, relax, Remus, I am fine—"

"You are not fine, you're just high as shit on painkillers right now that make you think you're fine."

"I'm not high, Remus, I know what that feels like and this isn't it." Janus sighs in frustration when Remus doesn't let go of his shoulders. "Oh, for the love of—I know what painkillers feel like, I know that I'm hurt, now let me up."

If it had been any other operative, perhaps the steel he injected into his tone might have sufficed to make them stop babying him. But oh, no, not Remus, who just gives him a look. What happened to the days when he didn't even have to say anything and Remus would know to back off?

Distantly, he registers Remus's fingers twitching ever so slightly and he realizes must've said that out loud. He lets out a low noise and reaches out to rest his hands on Remus's ribs.

"Shh," he mumbles—are they sure they didn't give him the good stuff? He's having trouble keeping his eyes open—"I didn't mean it."

What happened to the days when I did?

"I know," Remus says, voice softening just a touch, "just like I know you need to move as little as possible right now."

"What," he half scoffs, half laughs, "are you going to babysit me until you think I'm all better?"

"No."

"Good, because—"

"I'm gonna get Roman to do it."

"—that wouldn't work out for—you're going to what?"

And as if he could hear him, which at this point he's not going to put past either of them, Roman walks out from his bedroom. Janus's eyes widen slightly as he comes to take Remus's position in front of him, sitting on the coffee table as Remus hands him something he tucks into his pocket.

"Stay put," Remus says, "I'll be back."

"Oh, so you give the orders now?"

"You're injured, so yeah."

"Hey," Roman says softly as Janus tries to turn and follow Remus's path across the room, "he wasn't kidding, you know, you need to stay still."

At the first brush of Roman's hand against his flank, he sighs, resigning himself to letting the little prince fret over him for a moment. If he can reassure the both of them that he's fine, then perhaps he stands a better chance of convincing Roman that he can actually stand up. A cute little furrow forms between Roman's brows as he looks at the doctor's handiwork, the fingers on his free hand almost ghosting over the stitches.

"You're going to have to be careful of how you lie down," he says, still speaking as though if he said his words too loudly, they might shatter in the quiet air, "keep the stress off the surrounding skin."

"I have done this before, you know."

"I know." Roman looks up to meet his gaze. "That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."

He's definitely blaming it on the painkillers that he nearly melts at that, reaching out to brush his thumb against Roman's jaw. "I'm alright, little prince."

"So you need to stay still in order to be all the way better."

"Little prince—"

"You barely let me move when you first put my stitches in," Roman says before he can finish his thought, looking up at him with devastating softness, "it's okay. Just sit, I can take care of everything else."

"That's not your job, sweetie."

"But I want to do it. Look—you've done so much for me. For all of us, okay?" He reaches for the hand still brushing his jaw, cupping it between both of his and pulling it to his chest. "And now you're the one who's hurting. Let me look after you for a little bit, okay?"

Janus looks at his little prince, savoring the feeling of his hands wrapped so firmly yet delicately about his own. "Who taught you to be so sweet?"

At Roman's bashful little smile, he sighs, leaning back against the couch and tugging Roman with him. Roman comes, sitting ever so carefully on his non-injured side. Janus frees his hand from one of Roman's and brings the other to his lips, kissing it gently. Sweet little prince…

"Come lean on me."

He rouses himself a little. "Hm?"

"You look tired," Roman murmurs, settling himself more securely on the couch, "come and lean on me if you want."

It takes a fair bit of careful shifting before Janus is leaning steadily against Roman's bulk, his head nestled in the crook of his shoulder, his hair tickling the underside of Roman's jaw. One of his arms is wrapped securely around Janus's shoulders, the other still tangled with one of his hands. His puffing breaths warm the very top of Janus's nose, his chest almost rocking him to sleep as it rises and falls. He turns ever so slightly to press a kiss to the crown of Janus's head and Janus hums.

"You've done this before."

He feels more than sees Roman nod. "Did this with Remus a lot. And the others."

"I'm…sorry."

Roman shifts just enough to squeeze him in a tiny cuddle. "Thanks to you, we won't ever have to worry about that ever again."

He must start drifting there, on the couch, in the arms of his little prince, for he blinks and the light has changed. Now the shadows of the night spill in through the massive windows, thin blue fingers reaching across the floor to touch the base of the coffee table, the chairs, the kitchen island. Has he fallen asleep? Has Roman? Is it still the same day? The familiar bite of the pain has yet to resurface so it can't have been that long—except, of course, if they were lying and they did put him on the good stuff.

It suddenly occurs to him that there is a word for this feeling. When you wake in the night to realize that you needn't move yet, or when you stir from a place only to shift slightly and fall back to slumber. He has a vague memory of hot nights in the middle of the summer where he couldn't fall asleep even with the slightest sheet, only for the heat to break around the wee hours of the morning. He would rouse just long enough to pull over a sheet and then he would sleep again, safe under the gentle chill of the darkness. There is a word for that, isn't there? That precious feeling that can only truly be felt in its moment, lost to the ephemeral grace of memory?

Is he there now? Slipping in between moments as ripples move through water?

But no, there shifts Roman underneath him like a gentle current guiding him back to the world of the waking, and he turns just slightly to see a soft smile on that sweet face.

"Hey," Roman says softly, "how are you doing?"

"'M good."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," Janus murmurs, his eyes already slipping shut again, "thank you, little prince."

"Of course," he hears distantly as he falls back into the waiting arms of the darkness, "you're safe now."

Ah, he thinks, that's the word.

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[arizona-tate]

Nothing to See Here, Just Your Typical Office Romance

Rated: M WC: 1496 - AO3

Written for @tsspromptmonth's Rare Gifts event, Intrulogical Office AU. A little late but denial never hurt anyone. -

“It’s not like that, Jannie!”

Remus’ laughter rang out from his corner office, fast and tittering, pitched slightly higher than it’s usual timbre.

Concentration torn from the spreadsheet in front of him, Logan’s eyes followed the sound, tracing the pair of silhouettes moving on the other side of the frost glass wall.

“Really?” Janus’ voice, low and teasing, was just audible. “It certainly looks like that from here.”

Heavy wheels rolled over the floor and the rustle of silk on wool accompanied the now-taller silhouette. “How about from here?” Remus asked.

“Fine,” Janus said, sounding anything but. “I don’t need to know all the details of your love life.” Footsteps grew louder and Janus passed the threshold to Remus’ office before murmuring over his shoulder. “Besides, the position suits you.”

Logan didn’t lower his gaze as Janus sauntered down the corridor. “Lovely to see you, Logan,” he smirked, then continued down the hall to his own smaller office. He cast one more glance at him, eyes trailing down as Logan rose from his desk. “As always.”

After locking his screen Logan moved to Remus’ door, loosening the knot on his tie before clearing his throat. “Remus? Is now a good time?” He asked, voice low and even.

Already shaking his head before he even looked up, Remus’ ears flushed pink with he noticed the gap between Logan’s shirt and tie. He licked his lips and shook his head again.

Logan remained motionless, one foot in the office. His eyebrows raised expectantly.

He needed verbal consent.

“Yes, s–” Slurring his ‘s’, Remus saved himself from the slip and he nodded. “Please come in.”

Smiling now, Logan took his seat in the center of the plush velvet couch spanning the length of the far wall. He flicked his eyes to the door and Remus immediately obeyed, closing it with a quiet click.

“Lock it.”

Nodding again, Remus engaged the lock, then hovered his hand over the sound controls. “Would you like music, sir?”

“Yes, the Brahms.” Soft strings spilled from the hidden speakers and he looked pointedly at the fluffy rug at his feet. “Come here, pet.”

The thick fur softened both the impact and the sound as Remus dropped to his knees. “So good for me,” he murmured, cradling his jaw. “Following my instructions, anticipating my needs.” Cheeks flushed and lips parted, Remus’ pupils began to fill his emerald green eyes. 

Remus melted in to the touch, rubbing his cheek against Logan’s palm until he stretched out his his fingers and cupped the side of the kneeling man’s face. 

“Now, now, my sweet one,” Logan crooned, cradling his jaw. “Don’t drop just yet. We have something important to discuss.” He waited as Remus’ spine straightened, eyes refocused on his and he nodded. “Very, very good.”

Logan wordlessly stroked the edge of Remus’ hairline, long fingers dragging lightly through the fine curls.

Finally, Remus spoke, glancing at the door where Janus had stood only minutes ago before dropping his gaze to the floor. “I suppose you heard that.”

“Of course I did, pet.” Eyes trained on the floor, Remus only looked up when Logan applied a firm pressure, lifting his chin and revealing the thin strip of indigo leather strapped low on his neck. “I’m disappointed. You know my rules.” He slipped his hand lower, thumb tracing the curve of Remus’ throat until his fingers grazed warm leather. Two fingers tucked beneath, he tugged gently. “You may only wear this in the office if it stays out of sight of everyone else.”

Gasping at the sudden action, Remus’ eyes snapped shut and he whined. “But sir—”

“But nothing.” Logan’s voice was nearly a growl. “My rules are simple. You are mine. Only I may see you in this. What did I say last time?”

“No, please—” Remus’ words cut off when Logan tapped the lock, one eyebrow raised. 

“No?” 

“No, sir.”

Logan looked down. Remus’ voice had quivered, but his body was still, hands folded placidly in his lap. They locked eyes, heat and devotion and confidence behind Remus’ brilliant emerald gaze.

‘I like your possessive streak, Lo Lo,’ Remus had whispered to him early in their relationship. “I… enjoy it.” Honest to a fault, Remus had proven time and again just how much he enjoyed it when Logan tightened the metaphorical—and sometimes literal—rein.

“I wasn’t showing off, sir,” he continued. “Janus stood behind me and peeked down my shirt. It’s not easy to keep this from everyone. Especially from him.”

Logan sat back but didn’t drop his hand, and Remus followed his movement, leaning closer and brushing his cheek against Logan’s wrist. “That’s no excuse, pet. Perhaps this task is too difficult. If you wish to keep—”

Remus’ eyes popped and his hand shot up to grasp the well-worn leather as though Logan might rip it away from him. Logan’s smile softened and he released his grip on the collar to bring both hands to cradle either side of Remus’ face. “If you wish to keep wearing your collar in the office, ” he clarified and his husband relaxed into his touch. “You must demonstrate you will obey my rules.”

“I’m trying,” Remus pouted, that flash of fear spilling over into a taste of his long-tamed brattiness. “I bet you couldn’t do it,” he muttered, eyes down even as he backtalked.

“Really?”

Remus looked up at the hint of danger in his tone. Logan held his gaze before he slowly withdrew his hands and fully loosened his own tie. “I’ll take that bet.” Remus stared, mouth fallen open, as Logan removed his tie and unfastened the top three buttons of his shirt. It was only then that he retrieved the key hanging from a leather cord and half-hidden in his chest hair. 

“I’m going to remove your collar now,” he said slowly and reached for the lock. Remus nodded and lifted his chin.

He shuddered as Logan opened the collar, hands coming up to trace along the now bare skin above his collarbone. “Feels…” He shuddered again. “Weird.”

Logan covered Remus' hand, his own long fingers circling the oddly bare skin around his husband's neck. Tight tendons melted under his hand and the worrying tremor in Remus' jaw eased. “Would you rather we didn’t try this, Meus?” he asked in a low whisper, breaking the scene.

"No, I wanna try it, Lo Lo," he whispered back, pulling away one of Logan's hands, kissed the soft skin of his inner wrist. 

Remus' mustache tickled his wrist and he smiled. "Very good," he said, straightening his spine and picking up the collar. He held Remus' gaze as he fastened it and engaged the lock.

The collar hung heavy around Logan's neck, the leather still warm from Remus' skin, soft and flexible but with only a little yield. Logan swallowed the the muscles around his throat pressed agains the suede padding. His cheeks grew warm and a shiver ran down his spine.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" he asked softly, still kneeling.

"I…" Remus drove his cheek into Logan's palm, the cat-like gesture encouraging even as it reinforced his role in their play. Logan smiled and dragged his fingers through Remus' soft curls. "I had not anticipated finding the sensation… pleasurable. But you are correct. It is… Nearly distractingly so."

Remus' grin grew crooked and he wiggled closer. "It's even better when that's the only thing you're wearing."

The heat in Remus' eyes shifted Logan's control into gear and he chuckled, low in his chest. "That will have to wait, my pet. For now," he murmured, pulling back to button his shirt. "I have a bet to win."

"Hmph." Remus hung his head, full lips drawn down into an exaggerated pout. His eyes never left Logan's hands, though, and watched each movement.

"Don't wish to tell me what you want if you win this bet?" Logan asked, ignoring the fire racing through his own veins.

"I want…"  Remus breathed, a flush crawling up from his chest all the way to his hairline as he watched Logan re-knot his tie. "I want you to break a rule."

"A rule?" he asked, one eyebrow raised.

Encouraged, he leaned forward and rested his cheek against Logan's thigh. He peered up through the tuft of curls that fell over his eyes. "If I win, I want you to take me here… in my office." Tie straightened, Logan let his hand settle in Remus' hair. "Tonight."

Logan barely hesitated. "Very well," he nodded, smile broadening at Remus' low laugh. "And if I win…" Logan curled over to whisper in his ear. "I'll take you here in your office."

Remus' breath stilled, listening, and Logan chuckled again. "With your morning coffee."

"With—" His voice broke, the heat of his flush bleeding through Logan's trousers. "When everyone's here?"

"We'll lock the door…" Logan promised, scritching the fine curls at the back of his neck and smiling at the way Remus gripped his calves. "If you're good."

-

Author note: If there's interest, I'll continue this little story. I'm fine with leaving what happens next as an exercise for the reader.

[ageofhearingloss]

Who Are You Now ⎮Danny Wagner x Reader

A/N: hey guys, i am sososooo excited to give y’all my very first fic that i’ve ever written :’) this is an ode to danny lane, but also a little morsel for jake lane as well (i wouldn’t be a janny girl if i didn’t do that now would i). i’m thinking that this will be four, maaaaybe five parts so please let me know what y’all think (but please be kind cause i am fragile as fuck) and if you’d be interested in reading the rest! (this story exists in a timeline where the boys aren't in the band aaaaand it will have 18+ content so minors DNI! go away please and thank you!)

also quick shoutout to real life bestie @joopsworld for being my editor-in-chief and urging me to start writing again in the first place! she also made this collage (all pics sourced from pinterest and insta) and it is just perfect. 

okay guys! hehe! thank you for giving me the courage to do this!

(here is part two!)

pairing: danny wagner x female reader, jake kiszka x female oc

warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption and that’s pretty much it, this one is fluff! but just y'all wait, that’ll change ;)))) This series will contain 18+ content so minors, DNI! shoo shoo!

word count: ~7k heh sorry

summary: you and your best friend have just moved to a new city and spontaneously meet a group of handsome young strangers during a night out. you hit it off with one of them in particular, but are left wondering if you are just friends or if there’s something more on the horizon.

“Girl, you gotta hurry up,” you yelled as you pounded on the heavy plastic door of the porta-potty, “They flickered the lights, I think we’ve got, like, five minutes.” “I’m trying, don’t rush me!” Natalie replied, anxiety laced in her voice as you listened to her fumbling around. 

The two of you had been waiting for this concert for months, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect evening for it. It was a seasonably warm, autumn night in Nashville, the outdoor venue placed along the river, allowing the sounds of the water, the chirp of the crickets, and birds of the night to waft over the fellow concert-goers. The sun had just made its descent below the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful purplish-pink hue while allowing the stars to begin their nightly dance. 

Removing your hand from the door, you glanced around to admire these things that have become commonplace in your new home. You and your best friend, Natalie, were still adjusting to your new residence. The two of you had gone to college together to study music, but when you found your careers coming to a standstill in your hometown, the move to Nashville seemed like the obvious decision to make. Being in a city surrounded by the constant swelling of music and supported by fellow artists inspired the two of you to no end; it was something that you’ve never experienced before, and you knew it was something you weren’t going to be letting go of any time soon.

You were completely dumbfounded by the fact that it was October and you weren’t on the look-out for the first blizzard of the winter. The thought of not having cleats on the bottom of your boots and a 20lb bag of salt in the back of your car was absolutely unheard of. Yes, you were a long way from your hometown in the snowy midwest, but you had never felt more at home. You allowed your eyes to close, listening to the evening sounds around you.

I can’t believe we actually made it here. 

Startled out of your daydreaming, Natalie yanked the door open, strolling past you while fanning her hands in the air to dry them. “Pushy,” she murmured, wearing an amused smile while she glanced at you from over her shoulder. Her eyes, the color of the river dancing next to you, were sparkling with excitement, her milk chocolate hair shining golden in the last remaining bits of sunlight. You sent a beaming smile back to her, bounding after her as she guided you back to your seats. 

The seats you had selected were right in the middle of the venue, not too close to the stage, but not in the nosebleeds, either. Content with the view, you relaxed into your seat, Natalie handing you the beer that you two somehow found the time to buy. You took the time to look around once again; taking in the details of the stage, doing your fair share of people watching, until you found the eyes of a man who seemed to have already been staring at you.

He was sitting at the other end of the section, only a couple rows ahead of you. Even from this far away, you could tell that his eyes were the color of deep caramel, almost burnt. You held his gaze for a few seconds, convinced that it wasn't you he was actually looking at, so you glanced around at the people sitting nearby. When you realized no one was looking in his direction, you moved your eyes back to him and found that he was still watching you, this time giving you a small smile accompanied with a slight nod as if to say, “Yes, you.”

You felt a poke on your knee. “You totally said something to me, didn’t you?” you mumbled, still looking at the stranger. Natalie laughed out, “Yeah, I said that I can’t believe we actually made it– what are you looking at?” You looked back at her, then glanced down at the man who was now preoccupied with speaking to his friends around him. She got the hint, nonchalantly looking towards where you had directed her. “Oh, he’s pretty,” she whispered, a shit-eating grin creeping upon her face. You nodded eagerly as you stared at her, the two of you bursting into a fit of laughter a moment later.  

She was right, he was pretty. Maybe even the most beautiful man you’d ever seen. You took a second to gather in his features; you could tell he was tall even from sitting down; he had a muscular build, with deep brown, ringlet curls that swept over his shoulders and down his back. When you had met his eyes moments before, they were warm, kind, inviting. His smile was effortless, and even though he was extremely handsome, there was no hint of arrogance that came off him. 

Who is this guy?

You rolled your eyes at yourself, he’s just some random man. But you were eager to catch one more glimpse of him and as you looked in his direction, the lights dimmed all too quickly, signifying the show was about to start, and he’s lost to darkness.

The concert had been everything you hoped it’d be, and more. You and your friend had been speechless the second the show ended, and then flooded with excited comments all at once. She was your favorite person to see shows with; you both had a mutual love and admiration for live music, whether it be in an arena that seated thousands, or in someone’s backyard. Which was one of the driving factors as to why you moved to this music-filled city in the first place.

“By the way, I counted that guy looking at you six times tonight,” Natalie offered as she climbed the steps leaving your seats. “No, don’t tell me that!” You laughed back, heat flushing your face while you tried to hide the smile that threatened to break upon your mouth. “I’m being so for real, what if he’s at Mickey’s later?” She joked as she raised her eyebrows up and down before linking her arm in yours. 

“I gotta pee, and then we can head to the bar.” 

“Again?” 

“Hey, I had three beers! It’s not my fault you have a bladder of steel.” 

Waiting for her once more outside the porta-potty, you pulled out your phone and called an Uber to your favorite dive bar. The bar was nothing fancy; you and Natalie had made it a promise long ago to get skilled at playing pool, and this bar just so happened to be the perfect place for that. Slipping your phone back into your pocket, you watched the groups of people pass you by on their way out. 

You heard the door open just as you spotted him in the crowd, not surprised when you realized he was already glancing your way.

“How far away is the Uber?”

He gave you the same smile as before, and offered you a wave goodbye.

“Y/n?”

You didn’t hear her as you lifted your arm to give him a small wave back, to which he nodded in reply. You watched as he and his group made their way towards the exit of the park and into the night.

“Wait, did he come over here while I was in the bathroom?”

“Nonono, he just waved goodbye from over there,” You absently gestured towards his direction, eyes still strained on where he had just been.

“Yeah,” she snorted out a laugh. “I saw!”

You gave her a sarcastic smile, linking your arms together once more and before dragging her towards the exit. “C’mon, the car is only two minutes away.”

~~~~

Thanking the driver as you stepped out of the car and into the bustling streets of Nashville, the city was alive with more people and music than you were used to growing up. You and Natalie had found this bar one night in search of reprieve from the crowds, bouncers, and pricey cover charges, stumbling inside to find a hidden treasure trove, Mickey’s Tavern. The two of you had been regulars ever since. 

Walking through the threshold, one of the rotating bartenders recognized the two of you and got started on Natalie’s whiskey ginger and your gin and tonic without you having to say a word. 

“Ooooh the table is open, you wanna go grab it?” Pointing your thumb over your shoulder as you asked Natalie. She was already on it, leaving you to meander over to the bar to wait for your drinks. Thanking the bartender and leaving your tab open, you wandered over to the pool table, where Natalie already had two cue sticks, chalked and ready to go. 

“Are you sure those are the rules? I feel like that’s not right,” she brought her drink to her mouth, brows bunching together as she surveyed the pool table. 

You shot her a pure feline grin, “Yeah, Nat, I’m 100% positive. Didn’t you say you wanted me to teach you?” You did have a little more experience when it came to the game than she did, but you didn’t let on that you were feeding her bullshit rules in order to mess with her. 

“Well, yeah, but that rule contradicts everything you just said five minutes ago,” she muttered as you bent over the table, lining up your shot.

“That’s because she’s messing with you.”

Oh shit.

You paused at the unfamiliar voice coming from behind you.

You caught a quick glimpse at Nat as you straightened to stand up, and watched as her eyes widened with a smile already plastered to her face. Your breath caught as you turned on your heels and of course, standing right in front of you, was the handsome mystery man you’d been ogling over not even an hour ago.  

“Sorry to interrupt your game,” his eyes darted behind you to the table, “but were you two just at that show over on the river?” His voice was sweet, melodic, and matched the same warm, inviting demeanor that he presented to you at the concert.

This can’t be real.

Sensing that you had gone stiff with shock, Nat made her way to your side of the table while nodding and saying, “Yeah! You were sitting just a couple rows ahead of us, right?”

He smiled that effortless smile you’ve seen from him a few times now, and even though he was addressing your friend, he could not peel his eyes away from your stare. You began to notice the outfit he was wearing– it’s simple, but damn, was it effective. A loose, white button-down hung off his back, unbuttoned slightly to reveal the top of his chest and the obsidian pendant around his neck. He wore pristine black jeans that juxtaposed the white sneakers that looked like they’ve been to hell and back. Every article of clothing clung to his body as if they were handcrafted especially for him.

You were pulled back to reality as a hand clapped over the man's shoulder, presenting a shorter and equally handsome man with long, golden-brown hair. He presented a dashing, but secretive, smile, his eyes full of wisdom and swirling with cream and sugar. His tanned, smooth skin was on display underneath a black buttoned shirt, laying open nearly to his navel, with an ancient silver medallion dangling in the center of his chest. 

“And who do we have here?” His voice was husky, alluring, somehow matching the same glint in his eye.

Looking past him, you noticed two other men standing behind them, their attention pulled to the interaction you and Nat were having with the men in front of you. You quickly realized this is the group he was at the concert with. His friends.

The taller man turned slightly to face his companion who still had his hand on his shoulder, and smiled, “I haven’t gotten to that part yet.”

They all directed their attention back to you and your friend, Natalie effortlessly easing the tension with her warm personality, “I’m Natalie, and this is-” she placed a gentle hand on your back. “I’m Y/n,” you interrupted, not realizing that you had still been holding your breath. You hadn’t left those caramel eyes this whole time. Nat gave you a slight pat on your back for reassurance and finally, you felt a genuine smile grace your face, your eyes lighting up a bit and the anxiety finally vanishing from your body. Thank god for Natalie. “And you are…?” you offered to the men in front of you with a quirked eyebrow. 

“Oh right, I’m Daniel,” said your mystery concert man. “And these are my brothers, Jake,” he threw his arm around the shoulders of the long-haired man by his side, “Josh,” he gestured to the man who looked like Jake’s other half, who donned a head of wild, brown curls and gave you the most beautiful smile you had ever seen. Sunshine incarnate, you thought as Josh joined Jake's side. “And Sam,” he said as a lanky man, equally as tall as Daniel, bounded over to stand on the other side of the man doing the introductions. He looked like Josh and Jake combined; long, flowing hair just like Jake’s, but with an equally saccharine smile as Josh. He had a playful charm to him that put you further at ease. You looked between the four beautiful men, noting how Daniel was the only one who didn't look identical to the others. Sam, following your eyes, somehow knew exactly what you were thinking. He grasped Daniel’s arm and started shaking him slightly. “I know,” he grinned at you. “He’s the only one who didn’t get the Kiszka good looks.” He winked as Daniel shook his head, accompanied by a huffy laugh. The men before you presented an alluring, unified front, and you could tell that love flowed freely between the four of them and their bond with each other ran deep. You and Natalie were both grinning ear to ear as you finished exchanging greetings, the two of you shot a sideward glance at each other as if to say “Can you believe they’re all this gorgeous?” 

After shaking hands with the men, Josh proclaimed “We’re waiting for one more of our friends to join us, can we get you ladies a drink in the meantime?” 

“I think we’re all good for now,” you signaled to the drink in your hand, “but thanks, Josh!” You smiled sweetly to him, and he gave you a quick wink in confirmation before beckoning Sam to follow him to the bar. Left with Daniel and Jake in front of you, Jake lifted his chin in gesture to Nat’s drink, “what are you drinking?”

“Whiskey ginger,” she answered, blue eyes assessing him, bringing the glass to her lips.

“Aaah, a woman of taste,” He nodded contemplatively, earning him a smirk in return.

Oh, these two are gonna have some fun together.

You looked back to Daniel and could tell by how he was looking between Jake and Natalie that he agreed. 

Daniel’s attention then landed on the pool table behind you, “Would you mind if we joined you for a real game of pool? Jake here knows the rules pretty well,” throwing a smirk your way. “Not at all,” Nat said as she brought her cue stick up to gently swat your back, “I’ve gotta learn the real rules at some point.”

You laughed, “Hey, you gotta admit I had you going for a while!” Her eyes crinkled up in that smile you adored, throwing her head back as a laugh escaped her. 

Jake cut in, “I’m gonna be on Natalie’s team.” Daniel’s eyebrows lifted in question, Jake answering his friend, “What?” He began to walk around to the other side of the table, “Someone’s gotta show her some winning moves.” She made her way over to Jake, eyeing him up and down competitively, before playfully shoving his shoulder. The two of them shared a laugh, eyes burning into each other's with lustful amusement. 

“Looks like you’re with me,” you offered to Daniel, beaming, as he came to stand at your side. “Just don’t try to pull a fast one on me, too, y/n.” He grinned, his eyes sparkling.

Slowly, he bent to say softly in your ear, “I’ll bet you $5 they’ll go home together tonight.” You knew Nat like the back of your hand and you know how much she loves her own bed, but accepting the challenge, you offered your hand out to him. “Deal.”

He grasped it firmly, shaking it as his eyes seared into yours. 

~~~~

Those damned hands.

Watching him grip his cue stick, placing a hand on the side of the table, brushing the hair out of his face, it all made you nearly jump out of your skin. You were aware of every movement Daniel made, cursed to not look away in fear you might miss the tiniest detail. Noting how nimble his fingers were, how gracefully they skimmed the felt of the table, it told you just how skilled he must be with them- 

Focus on something else, y/n. 

It took pure willpower to pull you out of your flustered state, forcing yourself to look at the game table displayed in front of you. As Jake lined up a shot, you noticed how the game had progressed nicely; turned out you and Daniel made a great team, working strategically against your opponents, and Jake just so happened to be an excellent teacher, Natalie quickly grasping the rules and giving your team a run for your money. 

You listened intently to Jake and Natalie’s conversation– they were equally matched in wit and humor, and they seemed to hit it off exceptionally well. You even caught that Jake had called her “Nat” a couple of times. Funny, usually she doesn’t let that slide with strangers, you pondered, she must be in real deep. 

As your eyes bounced between the two of them, Daniel made his way to your side once again, his attention still on his brother's turn, but said to you,

“You don’t have to call me Daniel, I like Danny and Dan, too.”

You smiled as your brows knitted together in confusion, wondering how his comment was along the same train of thought you were just having. 

“Then why did you introduce yourself as Daniel?”

“Sam gets on my case about using my full name; he almost exclusively calls me Daniel.” He shrugged, “I guess I’ve gotten used to it.”

You peeled your gaze from the table to look at him, “I’m assuming his full name is Samuel, so why does he go by Sam?”

A Chesire grin crept upon his lips, “So you can imagine my frustration.”

Huffing out a laugh, you turned back to the table with a slight nod of your head.

“Dan it is, then.”

“BROTHERS!” Almost as if he were summoned, you heard Sam's voice boom over the atmosphere of the bar. You watched as he and Josh wove their way back to the table, Josh holding two drinks high above his head so they didn’t spill as he bumped into the people around him; it was impossible not to notice how much taller Sam was than his curly-headed counterpart, especially in this moment. Taking in the sight before him, Dan dropped his chin to his chest, chuckling, “Say the devil's name three times and he’ll appear.” He said it loud enough for Jake and Natalie to hear, the latter covering her mouth to mask her giggles.

“We come bearing refreshments!” Josh rejoiced as the two boys approached the pool table, and you took inventory of the drinks they handed to their brothers:

A glass of whiskey, neat, for Jake, and a Topo Chico seltzer for Dan. Sam was gripping a Corona bottle that had not one, not two, but three lime wedges floating in it, and Josh had already chugged the majority of his margarita. He noticed you watching him throw it back, and explained “Tequila is good for the soul” with a mischievous smirk. You couldn’t help but smile when you looked at Josh; he had a radiance that was undeniably unique and impossible to ignore.

Your attention moved back to check-in with your friend, but instead you found her preoccupied as Jake raised his glass to her. She mirrored his action and clinked her drink against his, neither of them relinquishing eye contact as they both took a sip of their amber liquids. Dan was also watching, and you weren’t surprised when he jabbed his elbow into your side lightly, wiggling his eyebrows to remind you of the bet you two made. 

Conversation was easy and enjoyable amongst this party of six. The pool game took a backseat while you all got to know each other; the men, you, and Natalie took turns volleying information back and forth about yourselves to the patient, waiting ears of the others. You could’ve guessed that Jake and Josh were twins, and were not surprised by the fact that Sammy Boy was their younger brother. You learned that Danny, in fact, wasn’t a Kiszka; he’s a Wagner. “We grew up together,” Josh explained, his empty glass chiming against the table as he set it down. “Jake was hell-bent on starting a band when we were barely teenagers, and we recruited Danny to play drums for us in our garage.” The four men exchanged knowing smiles as you inquired “And how did that go? The band?” “Well,” Dan cut in, “considering Jake is the only one who has a music career, I’d say it went pretty great.” He clapped his hand on Jake’s back, and you could have sworn you saw a hint of crimson color Jake’s cheeks. Nat noticed it too, her eyes saying to you, Isn’t he the sweetest thing? 

Beyond that, you learned that Jake was also an accomplished chef and had taught Sam everything he knew. Sam was in charge of manning the kitchen at a restaurant you and Natalie frequented, explaining to him that the restaurant had quickly become one of your favorites upon moving to this town. “I can’t believe I’ve never seen you! Who knew it’d be sweet, sweet Daniel who brought us together.”

Josh was a filmmaker, flying between Nashville, LA, and NYC regularly for work. He was animatedly talking with his hands while he explained the murder mystery he was currently shooting. He had all of you on the edges of your seats, dramatic tension hanging like dense fog in the air, when you all were interrupted by the abrupt change in song and volume, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey roaring to life from the jukebox at the other end of the bar.

Mumblings erupted from the four boys; Jake shook his head defeatedly, “For fucks sake…” 

Sam shot straight up in the air to glare at the jukebox over the heads of the other patrons of the bar,  his eyes squinting on his target. Setting his Corona on the green felt, not caring if it tipped over, you all watched as he started his warpath into the crowd, hollering “DAVE!! DO YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF DEATH WISH?”

Josh’s shoulders shook with laughter as Dan turned to you and Natalie, explaining, “Dave, the friend we were waiting for. Also known for being an absolute menace on aux.”

~~~~

Dave and Sam had decided to join your game, after they stopped bickering over the music, of course. You found out that Dave was the one who had lived in Nashville the longest, and he was in a band of his own with his buddies Alex and Chris.

“We’re called “The Thing With Feathers,” if you wanna look us up.” He told you with a sideward smirk. “The thing with feathers…. Like Emily Dickinson?” Nat inquired. 

“Exactly like that.”

Dave was incredibly charming and charismatic, similar in energy to Sam but a hint more suave. You assumed their matching energy might be the reason as to why they bickered like they have been married for 50 years. He had a messy mop of brown hair, and wore a teal, silk top so stunning that you found yourself convincing him to tell you where it was from.

Dave joined your team with Dan (“Where you been, buddy? I’ve missed you!”), and Sam joined his brother and Natalie. Josh insisted on pulling up a bar stool and playing referee for your game that had somehow managed to go unfinished for a long while (“I can make any game interesting. Just you watch, y/n”). 

Your team was getting your asses handed to you, until finally Natalie claimed victory, sinking the 8-ball. Claps and cheers erupted from your group as she responded with a slight curtsey and bow of her head, grinning from ear to ear. You’re delighted as you watched Sam jump up and down, running to Nat to give her a double high-five. She was laughing up a storm as Jake threw an arm around her shoulder, a proud grin plastered to his face. “All thanks to my winning moves,” voice laced with a hint of sarcasm as he squeezed her shoulder a little tighter. Her eyes flickered with surprise for just a millisecond, before she wrapped her arm around his waist, hip-checking him, retorting “Hmm, I actually think it was beginners luck.”

It hit you suddenly that you had only met this group of men a little over an hour ago; you felt as though you’ve known them your whole life. You noticed how at ease you felt, how you could undeniably be yourself without feeling like you needed to win the others over. Your laughs, smiles, and teasing jokes came freely, and were received and reciprocated with joy and humor. It’s a welcome feeling, and you knew that you’d be chasing it for a while. Natalie met your eyes, still snug under Jake’s arm, and you could tell she felt similarly. The two of you had made a few friends since moving to Nashville, but most of your close ones still remained back in your hometown. You two have been dying to find a group to call your own, and these guys seemed like they’d be a perfect fit. You were just praying that tonight wasn’t a one time deal. 

“How about we get a victory round for our Pool Champ?” Josh asked, jumping off his stool and already heading in the direction of the bar. Everybody was celebrating as they followed Josh, you and Dan at the end of the train. He ushered you ahead of him, placing a gentle hand on the middle of your back, guiding you through the crowd. His touch was whisper soft, but his hand felt like a brand against your body, instantly lighting you up in a way that you’ve been fighting to acknowledge all night. 

Those damned hands. 

Huddled around the bar, you and Daniel were graced with the chance to speak one on one, Natalie involved with the twins about Jake’s music, Josh gushing over how talented his brother was and insisting that she had to hear him play his guitar. Sam and Dave were back over at the jukebox and you could vaguely hear Sam’s scolding and Dave’s boisterous laugh. 

You were eager to learn more about Dan- he was the only one who was still somewhat shrouded in mystery, but before you could begin asking him questions, he beat you to the punch.

“How far from here do you live?” Dan asked, bringing his drink to his lips until he halts, “Not– that sounded creepy. I swear I’m not a stalker.” He brought his drink back down with a nervous laugh, shaking his head side to side.

“No, no! I know what you meant. Nat and I are just about 15 minutes away from here.”

“Thank god,” he released a breath, fiddling with the tab on his drink can. “So I take it you come around here pretty often then?”

You gave him a sly grin, eyes squinting just a little bit as he stammered, “Just curious if I’ll see you here any time soon.”

You hadn’t seen him flustered at all tonight, but listening to him stumble over his words ignited that same flame inside you that now you’d need a firehouse to extinguish. 

“Yeah, this is our favorite bar, we come here all the time.”

He gave you a grateful smile, seeming to thank you for being gracious of his fumbling, and you returned it, trying to ease his nerves even the slightest bit more. 

“So you and Natalie live together? You seem like you’re really close, how did you meet?”

You regaled the tale of how you two went to college for music together, quickly becoming joined at the hip and inseparable ever since. You’ve been through hell and back together, and you’re honored to stand by her side. He listened intently, glancing between you and your friend with a smile that suggested he knew exactly the feeling you were describing. Once you were running out of things to say, he had an arsenal of questions ready to ask you about your studies, about the music you loved, everything, and you answered each of them with matching enthusiasm. 

In a breath of silence, you were able to ask, “So how about you and your brothers? Seems like it’s more than just playing together in the garage.” You were happy to have the spotlight shift back to him if it meant that you got to glean a little more information out of your mystery man.

“We’re from a tiny town in Michigan, and we really only had each other. Just like you and Natalie, we’ve been inseparable ever since we were little. I dunno,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “we rely on each other.” 

You sat your glass down as you looked between the brothers, and knew that he was telling the truth. You felt it, saw it, immediately when they introduced themselves to you. 

“I know about all the others, but what do you do–”

Suddenly, Sam and Dave were behind him, Sam hauling him out of his stool with a “Sorry, y/n! I need him to help settle a score between me and Idiot over here!” The two of them dragged Dan back over to the jukebox, him gracing you with an apologetic smile as you chuckled to yourself. Brothers, indeed.

You joined Natalie and the twins, eagerly listening to their conversation unfold, bouncing between Josh’s movies, Jake’s music, and their questions about Natalie’s career. Eventually, Sam, Dave, and Daniel made their way back to the group, and the seven of you indulged in one last drink, hearing stories about their lives and loving every second of it. Dave had everybody in stitches talking about his time on tour with the band; you truly couldn’t remember the last time your stomach ached so badly from laughter.  

You sat back, admiring how Dan interacted with not only his friends, but how he spoke to Natalie. He had a witty and dry sense of humor, but was the most soft spoken and gentle one of the group; you’d previously thought that it was Jake, but you were proven incredibly wrong once that man had a few drinks in him. You’ve always been content to be a fly on the wall- observing how others interact and listening to the words exchanged around you was always something that brought you comfort. With this group, it was impossible to be bored. 

But you were happy to let them pull you out of your head and back to the conversation, and Dan insisted that they had to hear stories from your college days with Nat. She enthusiastically agreed, and hopped off her stool to stand behind yours, leaning down to hug your shoulders from behind. “You guys have GOT to hear about how y/n passed out on the side of the road on Halloween!” And with that, she had their undivided attention for at least the next half hour. 

~~~~

Drinks had long been emptied, and you and Nat had agreed that it was time for you to get some shut eye; sorry to break up such a jolly group, but the night had turned to the wee hours of the morning, much later than you two were used to staying out. Nat pulled her coat from the back of her stool and smoothed her dress. “I’m gonna run to the bathroom, I’ll call the–” “I know the drill, don’t worry.” You winked back to her. Once she disappeared to the bathroom, you watched the boys start making their way to the door, agreeing with you that it was time to call it a night. You called over to the bartender to close your tab, and once he made his way over to you with your receipt, Jake appeared behind you, placing his card down on the bar.

You looked up, “Jake, you don’t have-”

He held his hand up to stop you from talking.

“I want to, plus I owe it to her.” His eyes twinkled. You could tell he cared for Natalie even in the short amount of time they’ve gotten to know each other. You couldn’t imagine there being any ill-will behind those eyes, but what kind of friend would you be if you still didn’t give him a warning?

“Just please don’t be an asshole to her, okay? I think she really likes you.”

He was signing the receipt as his head snapped up to look at you, a sheepish smile already evident on his face, eyes wide and sparkling, “Really?”

You couldn't help but giggle at his enthusiasm, and you nodded your assurance.

“The same goes for you and Danny. He has a big heart. Be careful with him.” He slid the pen and paper back over the bar and gave you one last mischievous show of his teeth before you two sauntered over to the front door to join the rest of his band of brothers.

Natalie returned a beat later, informing you that your car home was still a little ways away. The boys insisted on staying with you until then, and you didn’t mind if it meant you had a few more moments to share with them. Dan has made his way to your side again but you noticed him shifting his weight between each foot, something you would chalk up to a nervous habit. Your gaze naturally found his, and the man was every shade of flustered as he watched you with an unsure grin. Carefully, he finally leaned down to whisper in your ear, “Looks like I owe you $5.” 

You grinned at him, opening your mouth to tell him to save it, when he interrupted you with, “Hold that thought,” and briskly slipped away back over to the bar. Confused, you watched his head of curls ask the bartender for something, the bartender placing a Sharpie in his outstretched palm a second later. He turned to walk back to your group, his teeth bared in a smile that could have shot you straight to the heavens. He painted a picture of collected calm, worlds different from how he looked moments earlier. He returned to your side, grabbing your hand without hesitation, and held it in his as he lifted it up. Sharpie in the other, he proceeded to write his phone number on the back of your hand, and the gesture had everyone halt their conversations to turn their attention to the two of you. You couldn’t help but blush at his action; no one had ever done that to you before, not to mention it being a little outdated. Josh seemed to agree, exclaiming “Woooooo! Look at you go, Grandpa!” Dan shot him a glare out of the corner of his eye while quickly finishing up his writing. You chanced a quick look over at Natalie to see that her jaw was on the floor as she watched this event unfold, eyes darting between your hand and your face as your eyes widened, trying to say to her I know, I can’t believe it either! You peeled your attention away from Nat as he let go of your hand gently and replaced the cap on the Sharpie, finally looking back into your eyes. His demeanor was filled with confidence and laced with excitement. 

“Text me right now so I have your number, too.”

You chuckled, “Shouldn’t you just have asked me for my number?”

His smile turned cheeky, his gaze darkening just a hint, “Yeah, but I only thought of that after I started writing.”

The two of you shared a genuine laugh now.

“I like this much better anyways,” you said as you pulled your phone out of your pocket, Daniel intently watching your every move.

“There,” you said with a wink after pressing send, “Now we can arrange my payment.”

The Uber pulled up to the bar then, initiating the goodbyes between you and your new friends. For whatever reason, it shocked you that they each brought you in for a hug, Josh leading with a “Hope to see you soon, mama.” Dave crushed you in a side-hug that you swore could have left a bruise, and even Jake offered you a surprisingly larger bear hug than his smaller frame would suggest he was capable of. Sam damn near swept you off your feet, grasping you so tightly that you were winded when he released you from his vise-like embrace.

Dan was the last one to scoop you into his arms, his hands ghosting over your lower back ever so softly, but his hold on you was firm. His scent was all-consuming; musky, laced with bits of cedarwood, tobacco, and vanilla. He released you with a slight hesitation of a hand on your back, his fingers gripping the fabric on the back of your shirt as you turned towards the car, as if to say that he didn’t want you to leave so soon. Knowing the feeling, you threw an understanding glance over your shoulder as you made your way to the car, hoping to convey that you wished you could stay with him, too. 

Your breath hitched as you watched him go completely still in response, eyes darkening even further than they had been minutes ago. The look that he gave you was one you could not place and hadn’t seen yet from him that night. It made you want to turn on your heel and run straight back to his side, almost as if he were beckoning you back to him. It seemed as though the world had vanished around you, lights dimming, noises silencing aside from your heart thundering in your ears, and all you could see was him and that damn look on his face.

Remember, y/n, you literally met this man, like, three hours ago? Calm down. 

Finally, you blinked, and the world started coming back to life. You hadn’t noticed that you had frozen in your tracks, too, that look of his slamming your composure right out of you. It took every ounce of willpower to look away, and you could feel the heat on your cheeks begin to rise as you realized that the rest of the men were staring at you, and then turned back to the car to see Natalie already inside, watching you expectantly. Gathering the shred of dignity you felt you still had left, you threw the guys another quick wave goodbye before hurriedly sliding into the car and slamming the door behind you. 

Only then were you able to catch your breath.

Settling into the worn leather of the backseat, you felt Natalie pat your knee. 

“I can’t believe how much fun that was,” she let out with a tired sigh. 

You were sure she could hear your heart threatening to beat out of your chest.

“I know, I haven’t met a group of guys genuinely that nice maybe ever?” 

“I know! Not creepy at all! Must be some kind of miracle.” 

There was a breath of comfortable silence, Nat giving you a moment to calm down and collect your thoughts. 

“And I can’t believe they’re the guys from the concert, and that you have his number? Unbelievable.” She continued after a few minutes.

“The universe works in crazy, mysterious ways.”

Just then, your phone vibrated. Opening it, a smile started creeping wide across your face.

Daniel: I was thinking that I could use those $5 to buy you coffee, say on Saturday. What do you think?

Y/n: sounds like a good use of your money, i’m in! 

“Looks like I have a date on Saturday,” you said without looking up.

“Ha! I knew it wouldn’t take long, that man’s fast. Plus the way he looked at you when we were leaving? Forget about it.”

Your phone buzzed again.

Daniel: Great! I’ll send you the details tomorrow. It was a pleasure to meet you tonight. Goodnight, y/n.

Y/n: you too, dan, goodnight 

You set your phone down in your lap, still smiling to yourself thinking about the man who had come so swiftly into your life. Looking out the window, you watched the city put itself to sleep as the car sped towards your apartment. You blindly reached over for Nat's hand, and once you felt hers in your grasp, you gave it a quick squeeze. You sighed back into the seat as you slowly shut your eyes, feeling ever grateful that you took this leap of faith. 

To be continued…

[naep2nii]

.𖥔˚ OPEN YOUR EYES . . .

⋆˚ ༘ do you think bout me too?. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

MUSE (뮤즈) is a South Korea - based coed group under WEVIUS ENTERTAINMENT. The group consists of 15 members (from oldest to youngest) : Kim SeoYun (Seoyun) , Park YeoJin (Yeojin) , Sajani Deshmukh (Janni) , Luciana D'Ambrosio (Luci) , Hana Kawasaki (Hana) , Kim JaeJin (Jaejin) , Kim JaeMin (Jaemin) , Kento Matsumoto (Kento) , Iman Kane Collins (Iman) , Callaghan Brennan (Cal) , Uyming Zhao (Ming), Cho YuRi (Yuri) , Kim JiYoung (JiJi) , Carmen Solana Valladares (Carmen) , Dumebi Michelle Afolayan (MiMi). The group is made up of 3 sub - groups : ALLURE , UNITE , and INSPIRE. They debuted on June 20th , 2021 , with their EP " A Wink and A Smile and The Land is Ours " , and title track " MOTO PRINCESS " . The group has grown a massive following for their fresh and unique music , multi talented members and unfiltered image.

≡;- ꒰ WHO AM I ? ꒱

BASICS!

~ stage name : MiMi (미미)

~ birth name : Dumebi Michelle Afolayan

~ nickname : bibim

~ birth date : may 13th, 2004 .

~ zodiac sign : taurus

~ MBTI : ENFP

~ birthplace : lagos , nigeria .

~ hometown : lagos , nigeria / calgary , canada .

~ residing in : seoul , korea .

~ nationality : nigerian - canadian

~ ethnicity : african

~ languages : english , yoruba , korean , (semi - fluent) japanese

~ sexuality : pansexual

CAREER!

~ profession(s) : idol

~ group(s) : MUSE , ALLURE

~ group position(s) : maknae , main dancer , fotg

~ representative emoji : 😼

~ titles : ace of kpop , korea's dancing queen , universal it girl , 5th gen it girl , princess of all trades

~ company : WEVIUS Entertainment (2019 - present)

APPEARANCE!

~ height : 175.3 cm / 5'9

~ weight : 52 kg / 114.6 lbs

~ piercings : both lobes , belly button

~ tattoos : "made with love" in calligraphy , lower back / "handle with care" , mid back

~ blood type : O

~ resemblance claim : rei - ive / hanni - newjeans

~ voice claim : teenage ariana grande

MISCELLANEOUS!

~ MiMi has 1 brother and 1 sister. Her brother is currently a famous youtuber , and her sister is still in highschool.

~ Her favourite colors are hot pink and azure blue.

~ After going viral for a highschool talent show performance , her and her best friend Jiyoung auditioned for an upcoming company in South Korea called WEVIUS Entertainment.

~ Her and two of her fellow members, JiJi and Carmen, look uncannily alike.

~ She has a passionate hatred for sugar (except in drinks).

~ Her favorite season is summer.

~ She is scared of clowns and mascots. She is wary of animals, but she’s slowly warming up to the group pets.

~She's currenty rumored to be dating Cal , UNITE's maknae.

~ Her favourite genres of music are uk drill and baltimore club.

~ She has a passion for creating and she loves to help with the group's comebacks whenever she can , whether it's choreographing , designing stage outfits , or sometimes even co - directing music videos. She plans to become a creative director full time if being an idol doesn't work out.

GALLERY!

[janny-aqua]

Leon's final appearance should've been in resident evil 6 cause those jackasses Derek and Benford are dead, like his arc is complete and doesn't to be in the future installments.

~ sincerely an Leon enjoyer.

[ctrsdoesart]

Soooo, da wäre mein Fanart für @keo6232‘s wirklich tolle Fanfiction. Der junge Janni und der junge Olli beim Telefonieren, aus dem ersten Kapitel. (Ich hab dafür extra diese beiden ersten Fernsehauftritte nochmal angeschaut xD)

Das sollte eigentlich mal nur ne Skizze werden hahaha

[asksuccubussides]

What if you were an asexual succubus wouldn't that be fucked up or what Chapter 13

Masterpost of chapters

The first thing that stirred Remus' awake was the strong smell of tea that made his eyelids flutter half open and his mouth slide agape to mutter for Emile to go have breakfast somewhere else. Though in his tired state his words came out merely as nonsense.

"Good morning darling" He felt a warm hand touch against his cheek making him lean into the touch to which he heard the person chuckle softly.

He opened his eyes and saw Janus sitting on the bed beside him while reading a book and drinking a cup of tea. The air was flooded with a smell of eggs being cooked that gave him the urge to throw eggs at Roman.

"Are you feeling peckish for some breakfast? I've already had some. You totally don't snore like a hippo by the way" Janus snarked.

"Awwww J-Anus you made food just for lil gross meeee"

"Dear I appreciate that you still believe I can cook after the dinner we had last night but no, absolutely not, Vivsie made the breakfast"

Remus looked up to see the emo standing by the tiny kitchen area with an apron on and eyeliner from the night before smushed across his cheeks. The demon grabbed ahold of his human's pajamas to drag him closer so he could whisper "The virgin's gonna poisssssooooooooonnnnn mmmmmeeeeee"

"No, no dear. If anyone is going to poison you it would be me. Virgil would just spit in your tea"

"Yeah I'll spit in your tea motherfucker!" Virgil exclaimed.

"Jokes on you! I like spit!" Remus yelled back.

Janus closed his book and kissed his date on the cheek before getting out of bed "You two muppets can sort that out while I decide my outfit for the day. This will definitely go very quick and swiftly and I will be done before you even notice I am gone"

As the warmth from his human's body slowly disappeared Remus did grabby hands for him to come back. Instead Virgil sat down on the edge of the bed and handed him a plate of eggs and pasta left over from the day before. He didn't even get a fork.

Suddenly while eating Remus felt a smack to the back of his head "HEY!" He looked over to the emo while rubbing his head "YOU C-"

"I told you not to come here"

"Well where am I supposed to cum then!? ON THE FLOOR!?"

Virgil had a full body shiver "Don't say that shit man!"

Remus squinted at him before bonking his fist against the top of the emo's head. Virgil pulled in a handful of his messy hair making the demon nearly drop the plate on Janus' bed. Both of them stopped and put aside any food so as to not disturb their shared human\s pretty pristine sheets before going right back to wrestling.

"Alright, on a scale from beautiful to stunning, how do I look?" Janus asked as he walked back into the room.

In an instant the two men had pulled away from each other and did their best to look normal. Remus did a double thumbs up while Virgil pointed out that Janus would overheat in the sun if he wore that. Jan returned to the bathroom and the men returned to fighting each other.

"I bet you don't even know about J-Anus' super secret tattoo" Remus bullshitted just to see the reaction.

The emo's face went as red as a stop sign as he smacked the demon right on the nose. Janus came back in with a changed shirt and did a little spin to show his skirt flaring up.

"YOU GOT A TATTOO??? JANNIE! You promised if you did we would get it together!!" Virgil yelled.

Janus sent a look to Remus "Don't lie to my dear little friend. He's gullible"

The demon cackled as Janus walked up to him and ran his fingers through his poofy hair. Remus moved his arms around his human's waist and looked up at him with a bright smile. From the corner of his eye he could see Virgil literally twitch with rage.

"You look great" Remus said.

"Aw, Thank you dear"

"You're driving there right" Virgil butted in "Not taking the bus right? I mean uh I've heard parking is pretty good there"

"We are"

"And you're bringing some water too right? With being in the sun all day and you know how-"

"How bloody overpriced water is at public events" Janus finished his sentence "I know and I am bringing my fancy black wide ass hat as well"

An itch in Remus' legs was roaring for him to go. He got up from the bed and pulled his human along as Janus said goodbye to his roomate. A twinge between Virgil's eyebrows made it abundantly clear how anxious he was as he blared right at the demon.

The moment the couple left the apartment Janus let his finger move against his demon's choker "Did you sleep with that on darling?"

"Was I not supposed to?"

Janus smirked “Cheeky. Are you sure you're not underdressed?"

"I am perfectly underdressed thanks"

"No. No. I think I might have something that will truly liven it up" He said as he fished around in his bag before pulling out a matching neon green leash for his demon's choker.

"SO YOU DID BUY LEASH WITH!!" Remus lightly  dragged in one of Janus' dreads "Liar liar. Keeping secrets from me"

"I would neeever keep anything from you darling" Janus teased back as he helped attach the leash to the choker.

"Is this sex thing?"

"It doesn't have to be" Jan scratched him under the chin "You just have to be good boy"

Remus leaned into the touch "That I can do!"

--

They arrived well before any sort of parade would start because Janus had insisted on looking at the pride market in the park nearby. Remus looked for bugs between blades of grass while Janus sorted through every single book in the second hand book stand. The demon had tried to wait by him but after about 5 seconds he had gotten bored and started eating fistfulls of dirt.

Eventually Janus came dragging along an overfilled bag with books. He sat down beside his demon and looked at the caterpillar Remus had found before Jan showed him every book he'd bought.

"It was 3 for 2. A diva has to splurge every now and then don't you think" Janus handed him the bag "You're carrying this for the rest of the day by the way"

"Ah sick. One of my arms is going to turn beefy muscular!"

The sun beamed down from between the trees making tiny light streaks play against Remus' brown skin. It made his faded freckles become visible and when he was looking at a bug on the ground Janus surprised him with a kiss to the freckles on his shoulder.

There was a constant humm of noise as the crowds of people zig zagged between market stalls and picnic tables. It was the most color the demon had seen people wear in this drowsy country so far and ever so often he saw someone walk past with a similar choker or leash as him.

The park was laid in between shopping buildings and brown cobblestone houses with grey streets in between. The streets were already humming with people out and about but soon enough they would be filled to the brim.

Somewhere in the air Remus sensed the smell of an angel far away but it was quickly forgotten behind the scents of food stalls and the rubbery smell of balloons.

"How strange" There was a wrinkle between Janus' eyebrows as he checked his phone "Apparently there was a bus crash not too long ago"

The demon tried to look over his shoulder "Are there pics?"

"Rude and insensitive dear. It was good we the took the car innit"

"Just once I wanna be in traffic crash. Bucket list goal"

Janus gave him a judgy look before rolling his eyes and putting his phone away. Remus laid his head in his lap and began crushing bugs between his fingers.

He looked at his human peacefully sitting in the grass and he, unlike Janus, didn't notice any of the people casting quick glances to Janus as they passed them by. He didn't notice the kids pointing or the couple quietly whispering. He only noticed when Janus started to fix his outfit because he knew that meant he was getting ready to go.

Remus stood up and held out his hand to help his human up "Madam" He teased.

"Good boy" Jan murmured right back.

The demon didn't think of letting go of his hand. Both of them glanced down at their hands before Janus let his thumb caress up and down against Remus' skin to which Remus silently let their fingers intertwine as they started talking towards the rest of the market.

"I am not usually much for pride specific things, I prefer to show off my immense homosexuality via classic flamboyancy, but I think most of this is made by local artists which is important to support" Janus rambled to which Remus nodded along. "Do you want anything dear?"

"I am being sugar boyed now???"

"NO!....I am not rich nor am I a classy old lady...Yet. I simply have proper nice manners"

Remus squeezed his hand "Sure sure"

The demon let out a loud squeal as he suddenly pulled Janus by the hand past a line of people and up to a booth in the corner. His arm vibrated with excitement as he pointed at a series of stickers with snakes holding various pride flags. He looked to his human with a toothy grin that made Janus feel like his legs were made out of jelly.

"Snake!" He yelled, as if he had to clarify.

"Ah yes. I don't have eyes so I totally can't see that it's snakes"

Remus nodded before moving to look around the rest of the booth as if showing him the snake had been his one and only mission and now he could continue chilling while Janus chatted with the person selling. He could feel his hand being tugged around as Remus moved but he didn't mind.

Janus leant forward so the seller could hear him better "You don't happen to have any aromantic themed snake stickers?" He cast a glance to Remus "Demiromantic specifically please? Oh and a pride one"

The seller put the pins into a tiny plastic bag before handing it to Janus and he turned to his date so he could put the pins into the book bags. The demon had an unusually somber expression as he let his hand run against an asexual pride flag hanging from a nearby booth. Janus knew he could just squeeze his hand to get his attention but to be extra he tugged in the leash hanging down to the demon's hip.

At the pull Remus’ gaze flickered to meet Janus' and he straightened his back and pulled his shoulders back before shaking his head around to try and shake his thoughts away.

"Don't go and show your tallness now prettyboy" Janus joked while pulling on the leash in the same way one would pull at the rope to a clock. "What were you looking at?"

Remus noticeable thought of what to say before responding instead of simply spluttering out the first words he found "...I was just thinking of how nice humans is and their creations" He smiled so his gums showed but added in hastily "And with their blood and organs too of course. Love them organs"

"You should go to a church. You'd love the organs in there, though they might set you on fire" Jan snarked back "Oh gosh! Look! Someone's selling crocheted coasters! I need those!"

The human pulled him along through the crowd and Remus' feet tripped over themself and fumbled behind as he looked back to cast another glance at the purple flag still hanging there. He got the thought that it was mocking him.

--

"Ah yes. This was indeed as corporate as I had imagined it to be. Do you smell that? That is proper rainbow capitalism at work" Janus said as they stood by and watched the pride parade go by "And it is even whiter as well innit"

The human snickered to himself and Remus smiled at the way his nose scrunched up and the slight dimple that appeared on the unscarred side of his face.

"If everyone exploded into blood puddles it wouldn't be white anymore" Remus suggested, completely missing the point.

"Great idea darling" He checked his watch "Say, how about we go for an early dinner before exploring the nightlife? My spine is totally not beginning to spite the hell out of me for daring to move around"

Remus put on a serious expression and pointed to the nearest trash can "Dinner"

"Spoken like a man with a heart of poetry"

"Can i eat you?"

"....No...."

"Then you get choose dinner"

"Well thanks for deciding not to feast on me darling. I will take it as the deepest of compliments"

"No. No. See. The compliment is I wanna eat you!! I only wanna eat you and no one else ever.....Aside from that one guy but I only ate like his arm so it is fine- But now I only wanna eat you for forever!"

Janus squinted at him before letting up into a laugh as he decided to take it as a joke "Okay well I think we are going somewhere that doesn't serve human meat tonight"

The last parts of the parade went by as the couple walked down the street that was completely new to Remus but with the added crowd practically felt new to Janus as well. The human pointed out the different restaurants though he had to admit he hadn't actually been to many of them since Virgil got too anxious to go out to eat even if Jan always took on the burden of ordering.

Remus hadn't noticed it at first but when he looked down he saw that he and Janus were holding hands again. It felt so natural he wasn't even sure when they had started or who had reached out. He thought it was lucky that despite them being different species their hands had still been molded to so perfectly fit together.

"Which part of latin america are you from now again?" The human asked.

"Uhhhhhh" Remus could feel a single sweatdrop fall down his forehead "The south west part of the uh bottom"

"...Ah. So Chile then? Excuse me I am just Such an expert in geography"

"YeAh sure! Where all the cool hunk bulky men come from"

"Well I don't particularly know any Chilean restaurants nearby but I know some Caribbean ones, because as we all know Latin America and the Caribbean have the exact same cuisine. In some ways-"

Just as Janus had started a new train of thought the door opened to the Caribbean restaurant and the person coming out briefly held it open for the couple. It was a tiny place with the counter almost right by the entrance with the actual seating room being to the right. The menu was written up on the wall above the counter and as Janus read it he suddenly felt Remus move up to him from behind. His demon snaked his arms around his shoulders and leant his pointy chin against the top of Jan's head.

"Tell me if you need help translating anything dear"

"I will take whatever you take"

"A perfect opportunity to poison you I see. Did I not warn against that just this morning"

"Naah. You too coward and I am immune. I would just puke it out on your silly shoes"

"There is nothing silly about my shoes! Besides puking would leave you vulnerable so In that case I would simply stab you and have it done with"

The cashier had started to stare at them so Janus quickly jumped into action and ordered before finding an empty table near a corner while having to stop Remus from grabbing every salt shaker from the tables they passed. Jan took the chair closest to the wall so that he could people watch while the demon immediately started to play footsies under the table.

He moved his shoe against Jan's until it became a tug of war where they tried to move the other one's foot as far back as possible. At least Remus assumed in his mind that was the rules, until his human broke up into a chuckle.

"I used my fancy shoes dear" He laughed.

"Fancy shoes not gonna protect you from my strong hunk toes!"

Janus picked up his dining knife "Here darling I’ll show you a different game. You'll totally hate it" He motioned for Remus to lay out his hand "Palm against the table, and be still"

He whacked the knife between Remus' fingers while humming to himself. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his date bite  his lip to stop himself from happy flapping his hand around.

He finished and held the knife over to the demon "Now you try, on yourself of course. I wouldn't want my gloves to be ruined"

"You know me so well J-Anus!"

Remus immediately poked the knife right into his finger before wildly cackling at the feeling of it. He booped side to side while mimicking the knife motions Janus had done. When the waiter arrived with their food they just cast a weird look to the demon before serving.

They had both gotten a serving of jerk chicken with beans laid upon a bed of rice which the demon started to stab furiously at with his fork so that individual rice pieces stuck to the fork. He chucked them down his throat in the same way people threw popcorn into their mouth. Janus looked at him eating for a little bit before deciding to comment as he took off his gloves and laid them beside the plate.

"I am quite sure there are more efficient ways to consume that"

"Yeah but this has more fun. It's about the cHASE! The HUNT!"

"I see" Under the table Janus let his hand wander to Remus' bare knee "Aren't you just the most vicious hunter there ever was"

Remus' smile widened like jelly "I am"

Jan pinched the skin of his knee before moving his hand away to start eating but as they ate Remus kept stroking his leg against Janus' which made the human's cheeks blossom a soft pink.

"As I was saying before" Janus began with his hand covering his mouth to hide the last bits of chewing "I don’t believe I have mentioned it before but I am technically-"

His words were cut off as he burst into a cough attack just as the spiciness of the dish hit him. His face turned another few shades darker as he gulped down a glass of water and Remus fanned his napkin towards his face.

"Are ants crawling up from your stomach"

"Not helping dear" The coughing wavered out "This was genuinely delicious though" His eyes had watered a bit along with his nose running.

Remus leant forward and wiped a bit of snot away with his finger.

"If you lick your finger, my dear stupid muppet, I will throw you out of the window"

Out of pure dickery Remus jokingly stuck out his tongue towards his finger to which Janus grabbed the end of his leash from under the table and yanked it down so fast that his chin slammed into the table.

Remus cackled "That felt fun!"

"I knew you'd like it, you demented sod"

"What were you saying anyway?" The demon beat his hand against his chest "I listen, I care"

"Oh right- Yes. I am technically" He paused for a moment to think "..Third generation? Third generation Cuban immigrant, afro-caribbean obviously, but it's so totally not strange at all to know those facts about yourself while it isn't applicable in the slightest to your actual life. The majority of the workers and pseudo parental figures at the orphanage were white and therefore I am completely allianted from a culture I would have known if my parents had lived. And at the same time I am too black to ever fit into some white british culture. Fun! You're following?"

The little geography knowledge Remus had fired up as he exclaimed "We both would have been from Latin america!"

"Well I still wouldn't have been from there but I understand what you mean" He chuckled at his date's bright smile "I would love to learn Haitian Creole someday, Lots of people speak it in Cuban too. The etymology of creole languages are absolutely fascinating. They're in some ways very similar to Lingua francas but they often have existed for far longer" he let up into a dreamy sigh "Imagine the grammatical evolution"

'Rude. Daydreaming about learning other languages when you don't even know sign. C. U. N. T' Remus signed.

"I imagine that you just now signed that I am very handsome and smart for wanting to learn so many languages"

"I was actually showing how much knowledge I know of British words. Cunt!"

"You know the most important thing truly darling" Janus dabbed the napkin next to his mouth before continuing "Now that I have so eloquently and selflessly bared a tiny bit of my dark and rotted soul-"

"I not asked you to"

"-I've been meaning to ask you something"

Remus leaned back in his chair and pushed his empty plate away while letting out a puff of air "Uh huh?"

"I haven't brought it up before since I didn't want to be rude-"

"Since when you care if rude"

Janus didn't respond, only looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I like that about you! Love rude! R stands for uh Rad. U stands for You! D stands for Dick and E stands for Excrement"

"Maybe you never should have learnt english" Jan teased to which Remus laughed. "But really while I looove being a rude bitch I do believe that it's best to only be rude about the things people choice about themself and can feasibly change, bitching about someone's accent or cackle does no one good after all-"

"Are you about to say my cackle bad. If so just punch me like a true bitch so we can fight!"

"No. No. I've just" Janus twirled one of his dreadlocks around his finger "I have noticed that" He rolled the hair between two of his fingers as he searched for words "Your eyes are normally just soooo not at all expressive and emotionally obvious and beautiful but both times we" He leant a little closer across the table and lowered his voice "Both times we were close to intimate your eyes seemed so....different"

Remus didn't respond, instead he leant in just as close and started to play with one of Janus' dreads "And?"

"It wasn't at aaaaall as if you looked like someone had just dropped your ice cream right in front of your eyes both time- Or not even that- You just seemed- You looked a bit uhm...Dead...And- And I am very aware that your experiences with sex far outweigh mine and that most of my impressions of sex have been through media which obviously romanticizes it so please do tell me if that is just how your eyes happen to look and it doesn't say anything about your enjoyment. And I am also aware that you've worked with it and I suppose that my eyes get a bit dead when I'm working too but I didn't think we- That you were in work mode when we. Well you understand what I mean dear"

After nearly a minute of Remus silently looking down at the table he finally asked "Why do you care?"

"Well darling it's not as if there is a very famous saying that eyes are the window to the soul and looking dead might mean you're not enjoying something"

"Why you care if I'm not enjoying?"

"Because I am capable of basic human emotions like caring about others. Oh no actually it's because I'm a deadly succubus trying to suck the lust out of you" Janus muttered back to which Remus went a bit pale. "Wait! Darling! Did you just make it sound like you don't enjoy it? You said you did before, not that I'm mad about a little lying or changing of opinion"

"I'm...." Remus sunk his head into his hands as he felt his stomach churn from hunger to the point of nausea. It was like hot flashes going up his back right to the tips of his fingers, like he could feel his heartbeat ringing in his ears, like his horns were glowing such a dark red it made him dizzy.

His horns. It had been so long since he thought of his horns, or his tail for that matter. Living among humans for so long made it so easy to forget the parts he had to hide.

He felt Janus stroke he edge of his shoe against his ankle "Y'know...." Remus took a shaky breath "I once started a collection of human teeth I found on side of roads" He forced a smile "Isn't that funny"

Janus reached out his hands across the table and laid them atop of Remus' arm "That's not what the conversation was about honey-dear, and you know it"

"I once ate a man's arm"

"You can tell me if something is wrong. For you, I will actually listen"

Remus shook his human's hands away "I've been pissed on, thrown up on, thrown up, gotten razorbladed, choked and hit and knocked out during fuck! And that's the part I enjoyed the most of fucking! I can have sex easy! There is lots wrong with me but I can have sex all fine. I've had a lot. I can keep trucking and fucking"

"I was asking if you enjoyed it"

"Can't you finish eating so can we go light dumpsters on fire or something fun like that and not talk like this right now"

Janus looked him up and down before responding softly saying "...Okay. We can talk later"

He took a bite from the food and immediately started to cough again and within an instant the tension in the air had dispersed and Remus was back to laughing as he got his human some more water.

"How did you eat this without a single sound?!"

"I have eaten lots of weird shit. Like a man's arm"

"No cannibal jokes during dinner please"

"Maybe if you eat it all at once it won't be as bad"

Janus gulped the rest of it down before instantly regretting it as his eyes watered and nose ran "Why did I listen to you!?"

"I am much wise"

"You are as wise as this is sweet. This is just the mildest, most comforting non spicy thing I have ever eaten in my long luscious life" Janus continued to string out lies as he fanned himself.

--

Afterwards the two of them went to get ice cream for dessert. Janus had thought that they could share to make it a bit romantic but upon hearing the freakish mixture of flavors his date wanted to get he decided for them to get separate ice creams.

The conversation between them flowed like water. Remus told him about a niche genre of 70's exploitation horror films he'd gotten into which in turn Janus questioned the ethics of the work environment for the actors during that time since the 70’s were known for horrendous working conditions in film which somehow ended up in them discussing found footage movies until Remus grossed Janus out with mentioning theories about whether snuff films really existed and the conversation had to ebb into an end before Jan lost his appetite.

"You ever been to a club before?" Remus asked while Janus was checking the event map on which local clubs were holding pride nights.

"Of cooourse. Every other night! You know how Virgil is! Clubbing is his life!"

"No then. Okay okay. Well it is loud and if you want to talk you should learn how to smoke very very soon cause smoke square only talkable place"

"Such wisdom"

Remus scratched at his mustache while looking smug "Hehe indeed"

The club nearby was pumping hot with how many human bodies were pressed in there. Even the line to hang up their jackets and bags was long enough Remus started to run in place to get the ants out of his legs.

There was so much motion all around him Janus' eyes got tired from darting from place to place. There were bars on either side of the club and standing tables stationed all around, most of them filled with left behind or forgotten cups of water while the dancefloor in the middle of the room was overfilled with groups of friends or partners dancing together.

And so many men. Bears, twinks, men who definitely had faceless photos on grindr, men who on a second glance he realized were butch lesbians and men who clearly just like him were here for the first time. And none of them looked like his Remus.

"Why you standing like a statue?" Remus asked as he leant his head on top of Janus' and looked down at him.

"HUH?"

Everything was also loud as hell. Right now the dj was playing a medley of Kylie Minogue's greatest hits and every gay man in that room was losing their collective mind.

'Now would be a good time to know sign' Remus signed and somehow he made his hand movements seem smug.

Despite Janus not knowing sign he could guess what he was saying and in responde he rolled his eyes. Remus smiled at him as he played with one of his human's dreadlocks between his fingers. He formed the hair into a heart shape that made Jan playfully slap him away for being too cheesy.

Remus shimmied his shoulders before motioning to drinking and looked to his human with a questioning look to which Janus locked his elbow with his and waved to the dance floor. Every single of the demon's pointy teeth showed as he grinned.

The way his human's skirt twirled as he danced was the most gorgeous non gorey thing he’d ever seen Remus thought. The songs were going by so fast he couldn't make out any of the words being sung. To him all it was was the bass pumping so hard the thumping went up into his ears and the lights shifting colors every other second.

A creeping sense of lust crawled along his back as he felt the stares of people digging into the back of his head. He supposed he had been lucky with people being too busy all day to sense his succubus presence.

Though when he turned his head to check he noticed that no one was actually looking at him but people were casting glances at Janus's facial scarring. Remus looked at his human and though his expression didn't say anything the demon still wanted to cheer him up, even if this was normal to him.

"I CALL THIS THEE GRAVEDIGGER" Remus yelled over the music before pretending to dig a hole to the rhythm of the music.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Janus laugh and it made tiny fireworks go off in every area of his body.

He started to pretend to nail things to walls while yelling "THIS IS THE ANGRY BUILDER"

--

"I adore your love for proper disinfection and cleanliness" Janus commented as he watched his date grab a cigarette stub from an ashtray and asked a stranger to light it.

"I can't get cancer so it fine"

"Oh honey, that was not the diseases I was referring to"

They were leaning against the railing in the corner of the smokebox right outside the club. Both of them were warm and sweaty from dancing which made steam rise from them up into the darkening evening air. Janus sipped on a margarita while the demon smoked.

Even though they were outside the music was still ringing in their ears and Janus could feel his eyes itch in that specific way where he knew he was tired but there was far too much adrenaline running through him to rest any time soon. 

His hand wandered to take remus but when he looked over to him he caught the demon about to eat ash right from the cigarette.

"NO!" He pulled in the leash which made Remus drop the cig as his head got pulled close to Janus' "No!"

"Just a little ash"

"No! Bad Remus!"

Remus kept full eye contact as he slipped out his tongue and slurped up the remainder of Janus' drink. "I was feeling bloody parched innit" He said in a bad British accent.

"You're bloody buzzing, that's what you are!"

"Blimey!" He slapped his hand against his forehead while putting on a fake frightened look. "Somebody better make me less of a troublemaking little sod" He teased.

"Shut up"

"UggghH J-Anus daddy"

Janus' cracked up into a slight blush while pushing his hand right into Remus' face "You are so stupid"

"You love me"

"I hate your guts"

"Imma take that as sarcasm"

"I'm parched. If you buy me another drink I might decide whether it's sarcasm or not"

--

The majority of Remus' "dancing" was just him bouncing up and down while letting his arms flail all around which Janus found quite cute in a way. The demon linked his hands together with his human's and got him to bounce along before spinning him around.

They did a bit of a two step together and Remus leant his forehead against Janus'. As the song slowed was about to move his arms around his date’s waist but the demon didn’t notice because bouncing like a goddamn trampoline got tiring real fast and he was already motioning for them to sit down for a little bit.

Janus was just about to nod when the dj switched to playing songs from Beyonce's latest album and his eyes went as wide as a cat who had just seen its favorite toy.

The demon went to a table near the wall while Janus stayed on the dance floor. He could definitely smell some other succubi in the club but no succubi with half a brain would try to seduce a human they'd seen a fellow succubi dance with.

Though he did see that Janus started to dance with another human man. He couldn't see the man completely clearly from in between the hordes of people but the man was tall and wide shouldered with beaded cornrows that shimmered in the club lights. Ugh, The beads were rainbow colored too. How fashionable and well themed.

Remus got the distinct urge to slam that man specifically with a hammer but not in the joyful way he usually thought of violence. It was a new kind of feeling that made his eyebrow twitch and his nails dig into the table wood.

Maybe he was just hungry, he thought but his appetite didn't blossom when he looked at the man, only when he looked at Janus.

He watched as Janus and the stranger kissed, and not just on the cheek like he and Janus had. His nails left claw marks on the table and his teeth churned against each other but he couldn't get himself to look away.

The room was crowded with strangers and yet when Janus' glanced over the only eyes that met his were Remus'. Their eye contact held as Janus kissed the stranger, as he had another man's tongue down his throat and his spit on his lips.

The song ended and so did the kiss. Remus saw Janus yell something over the music to the man and gave him a smile before their contact ended and the man disappeared into the swarm as if he had never been there in the first place, or maybe Remus just didn't care to pay any more attention to him.

Janus' cheeks were flushed when he finally had gotten through the crowd and gone back to stand beside Remus.

"DO YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE?" He yelled.

"SURE!"

By the time they had checked out their bag and jackets and gotten outside the sky had turned a dark blue and the air ran a pleasant chill against Remus' bare knees. There were only a few stars out but the city was still bustling with people in bars, existing and leaving and going home or staying over at friend's.

The adrenaline was still making Janus' head thump in rhythm with the bass that became further and further away as they turned off from the main street and geared towards where their car was parked. It felt like the night air was waking him up from some sort of warm blurry dream as it filled his lungs.

"Did you bloody see that?" He asked.

"You exchanging leftover food with that guy? Yeah I did"

"It happened so naturally! Is it always like that at clubs?"

Remus shrugged.

"Fascinating" janus said it in the same tone of voice the narrator of a nature documentary would. "It was fine with you was it not? It's not like we're dating innit"

"I know"

"You still seem a bit short in tone there darling"

Remus didn't give any response aside from some vague shake of his head.

Suddenly Janus stopped in his tracks and went over to a picnic table nearby to sit down on the top part of it before patting the spot next to him. By now they had gotten to a less busy part of the town where only a few drunken people were waiting for ubers or going home arm in arm. Remus sat the book bag aside and jumped up to sit cross legged next to him so close that his knee rubbed against the side of Janus' thigh.

"When I-" "Can I-" They spoke at the same time and Janus motioned for his date to go first.

"Can I say something honest?"

"No" Janus scoffed "I hope you shut up and lie for forever and ever"

"I think something's wrong with me"

Janus gasped and put his hand over his mouth "Nooo. You don't say. No way. Nothing like asking to see pictures of a bus crash to show how normal you are"

When Remus didn't joke back Janus slowly let his hand fall back down to his lap and leant a bit closer to try and meet his eyes but Remus kept his head down so his messy curls fell down in front of his eyes.

"I don't know how to say it in this language very well" Remus continued. "But when you asked about that at the restaurant.....I wish you could understand me" He said in his native language.

Janus cupped his hand against Remus' cheek and felt the warmth linger against his fingers as he waited for him to speak. He saw Remus taking a deep breath before continuing.

"I can have sex, dunno if I'm good but my dick works and ass works and everything is normal and stuff but I feel...Nothing. Sometimes it hurts a little but then just- Just like rubbing two hands together. Nothing sexy or good. Just rubbing. I often zone out up into dream land and think of gore and piss and shit and fun stuff and just come back when it's gone or like over"

He had practically blabbered it all out in one breath and as he finished his eyes darted up and down Janus' face searching for any change in his expression. His legs bounced, his feet tapped into the table and his nails moved to pick at dead skin. Anything to keep himself distracted from the possibility of Janus hating him.

"Did you zone out when we-"

"Yeah. After clothes started like coming off"

"Oh...."

Remus felt his stomach drop.

"Well before Virgil walked in all I did was uhm, excuse my french, touch you down there from the outside of your shorts. Was that okay with you?"

Janus looked at him with such genuine worry in his eyes it made Remus want to burst into tears and pull his own skin off.

"Yeah...Yeah! Completely okay! I said I can have sex! I can! No problem! I don't even know why I'm saying this!"

All at once regret washed over him because what if Janus now wouldn't want to have sex with him so he couldn't kill him so he could never return to hell and never see Remy or Emile or his brother ever again. He saw that Janus' lips were moving but no sounds reached his ears. God he wished he could kill The manager somehow.

"Can you say again?" Remus asked "I just zoned out"

Janus placed his hand on top of his "I know that we enjoy joking about it but there's genuinely nothing wrong with you darling. This just means we have to discuss things more if we ever do want to be intimate and I adore discussing shit with you. You're my lil good ol gossip-discuss-shittalk-boy"

Remus held in any urge to cry but couldn't get himself to form any sort of coherent response. At most he did some vague nod.

"Would you use the word asexual for yourself or is it more of a biological thing for you? Or some other variable thing I haven't even considered" Janus continued "If you know what asexual means-"

"OF COURSE I KNOW WHAT ASEXUAL MEANS!" Remus snapped as he felt something ugly regurgitate up his throat "I'm not That stupid! You think I've never laid with someone like that! That my brother never suggested that word!? I wish I could- I know what it is but it doesn't- I am not. I can't be"

He couldn't explain to Janus that he was a demon, a completely different species. He couldn't explain how there was no way that the human concept of asexuality could fit on him when he couldn’t even survive without feeding on lust. He had just been created wrong.

"I know you’re feeling emotional right now darling but don’t raise your voice at me like that" 

"Sorry"

"It's okay, just not again"

"I don't like being reminded of that asexual word” Just saying the word made Remus feel wrong “I don't like it- I don't like reminding myself that I can't be that. I try not to think about it"

Silently Janus assumed that Remus was meaning that his numbness to sex was because of some specific traumatic event that he didn't feel ready to talk about yet and decided to not ask about it any more. He simply held his hand a little tighter.

"Sure dear" He stroked his thumb up and down along his skin.

"You still want me?"

Janus snickered and was about to make a snarky joke but decided to be as clear as possible "Yes"

Remus smiled and knocked his shoulder against his human's "Aww. Grosssss”

“Do you feel any better now dear?”

“....Hmmmm…Yeaaash”

“Lying is obviously fantastic and I hate that telling the truth and being vulnerable’ actually bloody works sometimes. Annoying innit”

“Very innit” Remus leant in and rubbed the tip of his nose against Jan’s which made him laugh “So what did you wanna say?"

"Oh right.....Well you saw how I kissed that man?"

"It was hard to miss"

"It was my first kiss" Janus hesitated ever so slightly before continuing "And it made me realize that I wanted my first kiss to be with you"

Remus got so caught off guard he let out a weird yelpy sound and his mustache twisted upwards before he sputtered out "C-Cool"

"Cool?"

"Yeah 'cause uhhh ‘Cause- Uhm brain working- One sec- Uhmm Yeah because seeing you kiss him made me realize I don't wanna lose you and that I like wanted to be honest with you"

"Then it sounds like we are in agreement huh" Janus reached up and cupped Remus' cheek "Can I?"

The thought flashed in the demon's head that this was the first time anyone had asked for a kiss and nothing more from him.

He nodded.

Janus leant in and kissed him.

It was very adorably obvious that it was Janus second ever kiss since he kissed Remus in the unsure way someone who was trying to figure out how hard or soft he should press his lips would. His eyes were closed but his eyelids flickered still since he was too happy to fully keep them close.

The demon laid his arms around Jan's shoulders and moved his head slightly to make him more comfortable. His lips were as full and sweet as they looked and still tasted slightly like a fruit cocktail.

Actually it wasn't just a slight taste.

It felt just like feeding but...pleasant. Like how Remy and Emile had described it feeling like during sex. Like slices of oranges, dribbles of honey and lemon juice flowing into his mouth. Like he was having the first decent meal of his life.

But it didn't make sense. Remus moved back from the kiss and searched for answers in Janus' expression but all he saw was his lovely human trying to keep his smile in control but quickly giving up and grinning as wide as he could.

"Are you horny right now?" Remus asked bluntly.

Janus scoffed but it turned into a giggle "No. Should I be??"

"...No...No. This is- You're so pretty. I wish I could eat you and keep your heart in a little jar and walk around with it everywhere! Can we kiss again?"

"PLEase yes!"

They kissed again and this time Remus let his eyes close and let himself feel Janus' hands gently press against his cheeks. The feeling of feeding continued and he had no words for it anymore, just euphoria.

For the first time in his life Remus wasn't hungry.

"It's late" Janus murmured as the kiss ended, though his hand moved to rest on his demon's knee.

"Right yeah uh big moon" He was as close to speechless a Remus could come. His head kept spinning about how in the hell he could have fed from a non horny kiss.

When he barely got a response from the demon Janus continued "So are you driving me home?"

"YesS! Yeah!"

--

"I can't focus on driving" Remus suddenly said halfway on their way home.

"Why, do you want to crash into a bus perhaps"

"No- Well that too but I want to keep kissing you"

The sound of Janus bursting into giggles carried Remus the rest of the way home.

--

Janus watched as Remus took the book bag out from the backseat "Do you want to stay the night?"

"UuuuuUUuh I mean won't the sour virgin get annoyed by our sloppy tongue yodeling kissy sounds all night?"

"Darling, Never use those words in that order again please, but I suppose yes that might be a problem"

"I dunno babe"

"Babe?? Babe????" Janus dramatically fluttered his eyelashes "Now where the hell did Babe come from?"

"'Cause you're such a handsome pretty big ol ba-"

The words suddenly stopped the moment Remus turned to walk towards the apartment complex. Janus watched as his eyes grew wide and the bag slipped out of his hand and fell to the pavement.

When he turned to see what had caught him off guard all Janus saw was a stranger standing near the apartment entrance. Even in the darkness of the night the stranger's brightly white hair stood out like a lighthouse along with their nearly ghostly pale skin.

Before Janus had time to remind Remus it was rude to stare like that the demon had already taken off running towards the stranger as fast as he could. The human didn't know what to do but to pick up the forgotten bag and try to keep up.

He saw Remus collapse to his knees in front of the stranger and hug tightly around their legs. When Janus got closer he realized his shoulders were shaking as if he was sobbing but he wasn't letting out a single sound. 

[yzeltia]

FFXIVwrite2024 30. Two Heads Are Better Than One

Featuring: @driftward 's Fredrick the Poroggo Characters: Koana, V'tenpe Tia, Gulool Ja, Jullus pyr Norbanus, Alphinuad Leveilluer, Wuk Lamat, Bakool Ja Ja, U'rahn Nuhn, Violet Fisher, Jannie Eyradoux Fortemps, G'khenna Summers, Khloe Alipoh, T'kebbe Morh Rating: T Summary: Closing Vignettes about family, love, and friendship. Notes: Taken from by Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Thanks @autumnslance

-Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor-

“I cannot thank you enough, son.”

Koana’s ears perked at V’tenpe’s praise. “Son?” he thought to himself before having his back patted firmly by V’anille's father. He supposed it was true, his mentor now bound to him by marriage. “Son”. Praise. It warmed him in a way he thought would nigh’ be possible again.

“Guncle Tenpe! I got the wrenches you asked for Gulool Ja’s voice rang out, holding a set high above his head as he wandered over to their work station. 

“Sorry kiddo, those are A’rahn wrenches. I need the Ratchet kind today. Go ask your Auntie Mauhli for those, okay?” V’tenpe instructed, parting Gulool Ja on the head as he took the wrenches from him.

“Okay! Uh…is Koana okay?” Gulool Ja whispered.

Koana blinked as the two stared at him. He touched his face finding a stray tear, then wiped his face off with his ascot. “Some dust in my eye is all.”

“Okay then,” Gulool Ja said, hesitating a moment before running off to get the right tools.

V'tenpe raked his hand through his hair, smiling as the boy ran off. He turned to Koana, shaking his head before squatting down to deadlift the large gear. “Y'know. With your friends gone back to Eorzea or wherever, I bet it's a hard adjustment. You had brothers to get stuff off your chest. Now it's just you and your sister and Anille, and you've got in your mind to keep yerself stoic and level headed. Probably moreso with your fancy title being the Vow of Reason.

“But life's going to be like fixing up this train. Sure I could do this by myself, but it'd be harder on my own. I'm fortunate to have a good hearted son to tag along and my little helper visiting too. Makes the whole thing easier to get through and I don't accidentally wear myself out. The mind is a lot like that too. You keep it all in your noggin’ and you'll burn out. You understand me?”

Koana nodded, swallowing a little before coming over to help V’tenpe fix the gear upon a spoke. “I am, admittedly, finding myself missing my father at times. You are right, I think I might be letting my title prevent me from grieving,” he explained before lowering his ears. “Thank you…dad.”

-If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. 

But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up-

Alphinaud punched his fist into the snow, ass sore from being knocked back while his entourage of Garlean pears laughed at his expense. Two years and a handful of ilms had done little to better his chances with swordplay and he’d regretted his pride, preventing him from asking his sister or Estinien to train him in the art.

“Stick to books Eorzean,” one of the guys laughed before going quiet as Jullus stepped in to reach down and help Alphinaud back to his feet before picking up the training sword the other had been given.

After examining it, he threw it to the other’s feet. “You gave him a damn weighted sword. Is this how the new Garlemald is going to win their fights? Cheap tricks? Sod off you lot and run some laps,” Jullus ordered, watching his company men groan, one slugging the instigator in the shoulder.

Alphinaud bitterly clenched his fists and hung his head. “It is just as embarrassing to lose as it is to have you jump in for me every time I lose a challenge. Though I suppose I should take comfort in knowing they’d set me up for failure.”

Jullus shook his head. “Honestly, you have no business holding a sword. Even if you hadn’t been given a disadvantage your stance and movements are too…noodley for lack of a better word.”

“I’m not seeing how that is to make me feel any better,” Alphinaud said before finding his chin pulled in by Jullus. He flushed as he was kissed, letting it do its job and calm his.

When Jullus parted he smiled then laughed. “That’s not going to work for me much longer is it? I fear each time we part you’ll return a head taller,” he said before hearing his troop scream in the distance. “As for making you feel better. I hosed down a section of our run.”

Alphinaud looked around Jullus, seeing the group trying to pick themselves up on the iced over path. He sighed, unsure if he wished to thank the other for preemptively coming to his defense or scolding him for creating an unsafe environment for his friends. He supposed as long as no injury came from it, he could enjoy a moment of watching them stumble about one another with Jullus’s arm around him. He smiled to himself then turned to attempt to steal another kiss, surprising himself that he no longer needed to lift up on his toes and could meet him at his level.

-Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. 

But how can one keep warm alone?-

“I HATE ALPACAS!!!!!”

Bakool Ja Ja jumped and put a claw over Wuk Lamat’s mouth, silencing her frustrated scream as it echoed through the peaks of Urqopacha. “Careful my Vow, you could cause an avalanche,” Mystic warned before letting her go.

“Sorry. I am just so frustrated. Tobli should build higher fences if he doesn’t want these fiends escaping. I should have had Koana handle this as soon as I knew the petition involved the furry little fiends. I’m sorry that I ever tried to like them,” Wuk Lamat ranted before holding herself as a wind blew by them. “Though I wish one was around. I could really use something fluffy and warm. Hopefully the wind will pass soon,” she continued before the wind howled and picked up. “Okay, maybe we stop for a moment until it calms down.”

Bakool Ja Ja nodded, following Wuk Lamat’s lead to take shelter under an overhang of rocks. He swallowed, watching her shiver and peak out toward the snowy roads. Swallowing, he cleared Might’s throat then rubbed the back of his head. “Vow, if you are cold I could help.”

“Cold? I’m not cold. I’m fine…Really fine,” Wuk Lamat said as she chattered. “I’ll shake it off soon and we’ll be on our way to find that alpaca in no time. You’ll see.”

Bakool Ja Ja frowned with both heads, watching her stubbornly buckle forward as she held herself. Inhaling, he worked up his courage. It was duty as a Landsguard to keep the Vow safe, despite her stubbornness…but, to embrace her. He felt heat rise in his faces at the mere thought. Working himself up, he stepped forward then hesitantly hugged her from behind. “I apologize, but I cannot watch you freeze to death,” Mystic said, feeling her straighten up in his arms.

Wuk Lamat stood stiffly for a moment, not saying anything as she was held. After a few breaths, she leaned back into the warmth of the blessed siblings, ears slumping. “Thank you, Bakool Ja Ja. This is not…unpleasant,” she said carefully.

Being thanked was still new to him. More heat flooded his faces as she relaxed against him. As the snow blustered about outside their small shelter, he stood and held her for as long as she’d let him.

-Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.-

Rrahn rushed forward, dodging Black Cat’s swipes with a flip to the side before releasing a flurry of blows into her stomach before going for an uppercut before being repelled by a biscuit maker. Violet watched as he flew over her. Blowing her hair from her face, she launched herself forward and began to swing wildly with her gunblade before discharging a bullet, only to have Black Cat relocate herself across the field making her tumble forward past Jannie. Jannie raised her blade defensively, capturing Black Cat’s attention and letting her start to punch and kick at her blade.

On the other side of the ring, G’khenna did her best to maintain a healing aura around the field as the Warriors of Light got knocked around while ahead of her Khloe went all out with her blades, fighting Black Cat’s deflecting tail as she tried to land a blow before catching a flick of the appendage. Khloe let out a cry as she was sent flying backward into G’khenna, knocking her out of her concentration. Black Cat’s attention on them, they held each other and let their eyes grow wide as the fighter appeared before them and raise both fists high, ready to bring them down on them.

“What’s this? A new challenger approaches,” Metem’s voice called out in surprise.

As the girls braced for impact, a pink carbuncle jumped in front of them then created a barrier about them both. On impact, Black Cat recoiled then jumped backward only to be ambushed by the Warriors of Light once more. Standing up, they found a pink-haired girl next to them tossing her hair as she held an open grimoire.

“KEBBE!” Khloe and G’khenna called out, both hurrying to hug her tight.

“Sorry I’m late! It was really hard getting over here,” she laughed, ears fluttering as she hugged her best friends back.

“Khloe, I mean, I missed you so much! We had a huge adventure!”

“We participated in the Rite of Succession and found the City of Gold,” G’khenna added before yelping as a powerful beam hit the panel that they were on once, then twice.

“MY RING!” Metem’s voice cried out in despair.

The trio yelled as the panel shattered beneath them, all three falling into the field below before finding themselves levitated and placed safely back on an unblemished part of the ring. 

“Catch up later! Let’s help the others take this lady down,” T’kebbe said, raising her book in the air then casting a broil toward Black Cat.

“Ahem! Please bear with us while we repair the ring,” Metem’s voice sounded out before it dropped into an angry muffled hiss. “Someone! Get that weird frog out of here.”

The girls blinked then returned to battle. Behind them Fredrick hopped as fast as he could around the stadium, robotic sentries chased him. All these years later and Miqo’te girls continued to be nothing but trouble.

[theartofmany]

Artist: Jannis Mayr Title: Goliath Warden Encounter

"Finally the Goliath Warden in all it´s glory. Part of a bigger project I am working on. Check out the other keyframes of this concept!" So cool...